


Abolished

by my_mad_fatuation



Series: Affenland [1]
Category: My Mad Fat Diary
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-04
Updated: 2017-04-11
Packaged: 2018-10-14 19:11:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10542765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/my_mad_fatuation/pseuds/my_mad_fatuation
Summary: Finn is an abolisher. His job is to rid the kingdom of Affenland of evil and magical creatures. But what happens when he is charged to capture the charming and suspected dark sorceress, Rae?





	1. Chapter 1

As he plunged his sword into the harpy’s chest, crunching through its ribcage, Finn let out a sigh of relief. That was the last of them.

He looked around at the wreckage surrounding him. Half a dozen dead harpies and a nest full of stolen food. Normally he wouldn’t bother with such lowly creatures, but they’d been harassing the villagers nearby for a while now. He was getting paid for it, after all. As an abolisher, it was his job to rid the kingdom of evil and magical beings. For a fee.

He pulled the sword out of the creature in front of him and wiped it off on the grass. He’d clean it properly once he got back to town. After sheathing his sword, he dried his forehead with his sleeve. One thing was certain; he was going to need a drink after this.

He headed towards his horse, which was hiding behind a tree. “Coward,” he muttered as he stroked its mane.

The horse snorted.

“I was only jesting,” he added before climbing into the saddle. “You women are always so sensitive.”

He rode off in the direction of the nearest farming village, stopping at the outskirts to talk to the farmer that hired him. He was an older man with a weathered face that must have come from working in the sun all day every day.

“Is it done?” the farmer asked him.

“It’s done,” said Finn. “Those harpies won’t be bothering you folks anymore. Got their nest.”

“Oh, thank you. Thank you!”

“No need to thank me, it’s my job,” he said. He waited for a moment to see if the farmer would take the hint, then coughed loudly and held out his hand. “You expect to get paid for your work, don’t you?”

“What? Oh, yes, of course,” said the farmer. He untied the coin purse around his waist and handed it over. “It’s all I can afford.”

Finn took the coins and counted them. Not much, but it would have to do. “I don’t normally work for so little,” he said, tucking the purse away. “But I’m a nice guy, so I’ll accept it. This time.”

“Much appreciated.”

“All right, then. Which way’s the nearest city?” he asked. “I need a proper drink.”

***

Once he’d secured his horse in a stable on the edge of town, Finn headed into Halesborough to find a tavern. Although he wasn’t from the area, he’d been to Halesborough enough that he knew his way around fairly well. Or, rather, he knew where to get a decent drink, at least. The Stork and Sturgeon was a good place to start.

It was rather late by the time Finn arrived, so anyone with a loving family had already gone home. _Just the riffraff left_ , he thought to himself as he looked around. He knew that included him.

He asked if there were any rooms available — there weren’t — and ordered his first three drinks. It was one of those days.

“Oi, Finn,” a man said to him once he’d sat down.

Finn downed his first drink and turned towards him. “Chop? Is that really you?”

“One and the same,” the man replied, grinning.

“I heard you’d died,” said Finn as he shook Chop’s hand and slapped him on the shoulder.

“Was a close call, but I made it. Never mind that. What are you doing here?”

“Working,” he said, and knocked back his second drink.

“I can see that,” said Chop.

“Had a contract to get a werewolf just outside Leaverton,” Finn explained.

“Why didn’t they ask me? I’m in the area and all!”

“Because you don’t know shit about lycanthropes, mate,” he said with a laugh. “You’d go in there, sword swinging, and get scratched to bits.”

“Yeah, but I’d get it treated before the disease set in. I’m not that dim,” Chop argued. “Besides, doesn’t explain what you’re doing in Halesborough.”

“Found some more work doing a harpies’ nest near a village just south of here. Thought I’d come get a drink and find a place to sleep for the night. Don’t much care for riding in the dark.”

“Aw, are you afraid of the dark, Finn?”

“It’s not me so much as my cowardly horse.” Finn laughed again and had another drink. “It’s nice to sleep in a bed once in a while, any…” He trailed off when he noticed a young woman with long, dark hair, sitting alone in the corner. “…Way.”

Chop turned to look in the direction his friend was staring. “I guess you’re not planning to be alone in this bed, then, are you?”

“Do you know that woman? Is she a regular here?”

“Dunno,” he said taking a swig from his mug. “I don’t generally pay attention to anyone who’s not serving me a drink.”

“I guess I’ll just have to go find out,” said Finn. He ordered two more drinks and carried them over towards the woman in the corner. “Good evening,” he said to her.

She looked up at him, not at all startled by his presence. “Good evening,” she said.

“You waiting for someone?”

“No one in particular.” She smiled at him and he took a seat at her table.

“You looked like you could use another drink,” he added, setting the mug in front of her.

“That’s very thoughtful, thank you,” she said, and tipped back the entire thing at once, which impressed him.

“You’re welcome.”

“You’re not from around here, are you?” she asked, setting the mug back down on the table.

“From Granesrow,” he said.

“Ah, I thought I detected a Granish accent. What brings you here, then?”

“Work.”

She eyed the sword on his back. “What sort of work?”

“I’m a cobbler,” he said sarcastically.

“Funny,” she replied. “Well, you don’t look like a soldier… Are you some kind of thug for hire?”

“Sort of. I’m an abolisher.”

“So, what, you fight goblins and fairies and such?”

“Goblins, yes. Fairies tend to mind their own business, though; unless they steal a baby, I don’t get involved.”

She smiled as though she liked his answer.

“And what do you do?” he asked her.

“I’m a healer,” she told him. “Not nearly as exciting, I know.”

“But just as important, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I’d say more important, actually.”

“Fair enough,” he said with a smile. “Say, you wouldn’t happen to know where I could find a bed to sleep in tonight, would you? Been travelling a while, and this place is full up.”

“The inn ‘round the corner’s not bad.”

“Is that where you’re staying?”

“No, I’m a local.”

“And I don’t suppose you’ve got any extra beds, then?” he asked.

She gave him a coy smile. “None extra, no.”

“Well, I mean, we could always share…”

“It’s late, abolisher, so I should probably go—“

“Finn.”

“What?”

“My name’s Finn,” he said.

“I’m Rae,” she said as she stood up. “I hope to see you again soon.” She placed a hand on his shoulder for a moment before she left.

“Damn,” he muttered to himself.

***

Unfortunately for Finn, Chop didn’t have any extra beds where he lived, either, and Finn wasn’t as keen on sharing with him, so after he’d quenched his thirst at the tavern, he made his way around the corner to the nearest inn. He could tell this wasn’t the nicest area of town. He passed several beggars on his way and intervened in a mugging. It wasn’t difficult. He just had to pull out his sword and the mugger fled, dropping his knife on the ground.

“Thank you, thank you,” said the man who had been nearly mugged.

“Normally, I ask for payment for my services,” said Finn, “but I feel that in this case it would make me no better than him.”

“May the Lord’s grace treat you kindly.”

“Go, before I change my mind.”

Finn snickered to himself as the man ran off, before heading inside the inn. It wasn’t the worst place he’d stayed, he had to admit, but it wasn’t the greatest, either. He’d once stayed at quite a luxurious inn in the capital of Affenland, which made this place look like a rat’s nest.

“Evening,” he said as he approached the innkeeper. “Got a room available?”

She appeared a bit surprised to see him there — she must not have heard him approaching — and looked at the sword on his back warily.

“I’m an abolisher,” he said as way of clarification. “I just need a room.”

“Oh… Yeah… We’ve got rooms,” she said.

“Great. How much for the night?”

“Someone came ‘round here looking for an abolisher the other day,” she continued, ignoring his question. “Said they had a big job that needs doing, and they wanted a good one.”

“Well, I am the best,” Finn said smugly. “Who was asking?”

“’Twas a guard,” she said. “Apparently the head of the Halesborough guard is looking to hire someone like you.”

“I may stop the occasional mugging, but I’m not interested in patrolling the city.”

“I doubt he’d be looking for an abolisher if it weren’t for something serious. You know how people ‘round here are about you folk.”

“Yes, I know,” he said. “I’m not nearly as popular here as I am in the capital. Though I hear that in Mollenfort, I’d be revered like a king.”

“You don’t want to go to Mollenfort, with the war and everything,” she said seriously.

“I was merely jesting,” he replied. “Anyway, how much for the night here?”

He paid and the innkeeper showed him to his room.

“If you need anything else, just let me know,” she said. “For a bit more coin, I could even get you a girl up here.”

“That won’t be necessary,” he said.

Although he would’ve appreciated some company, he’d never paid for it before, and wasn’t going to start now. Were he in the capital, he was certain he’d have his choice of willing companions for the evening — his kind was quite popular there, after all — but he figured he could use a restful night alone, anyway.

Of course, had that lovely young woman at the tavern been interested, he might have thought differently.

***

Finn thanked the innkeeper for her hospitality before leaving in the morning. He left earlier than usual — normally after a busy day like the previous one, he’d have a bit of a lie-in — but he was eager to find out why the head of the local guard was looking for an abolisher. For, what sort of beast could he alone slay that the collective force of the guardsmen could not? (Well, lots, probably.)

The innkeeper had kindly given him directions to the local barracks where he would find the head of the guard, since he’d had no idea where to look.

“What do you want?” asked the guard outside the barracks when Finn approached.

“I heard the head of the guard is looking for an abolisher,” said Finn. “Has a job that needs doing, apparently.”

“So?”

“So…” He pointed at the sword on his back. “This isn’t for decoration.”

“You telling me you’re an abolisher?” the guard asked incredulously.

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

“I thought abolishers were supposed to be… bigger.” He laughed. “I mean, I could take you.”

Finn clenched his hand, readying himself to grab his weapon if need be. He was used to larger men challenging him, though they were usually no match.

“All right,” said the guard once he was done laughing. “Go on in.”

Once inside, Finn asked around looking for the head of the guard.

“Ah, are you the abolisher he hired?” said an off-duty guard.

“Hope to be,” said Finn. “Any idea why he’d be looking for someone like me?”

“Heard it’s got something to do with a gryphon. But he can tell you more. Just through there.”

“Thanks,” he said, before heading in the direction indicated by the guard. He knocked on the heavy wooden door.

“Enter,” said a voice from the other side.

When he got inside, he was surprised to see that the head of the guard appeared to be even shorter than him, though he was seated so it was difficult to tell for sure.

“Morning,” said Finn. “I heard you were looking for an abolisher. Have some sort of gryphon problem.”

The shorter man looked up at him from his desk, confused for a moment. “Oh, right, right — the gryphon. Come in, and shut the door.”

Finn did as he was told. “No offence,” he added, “but why can’t a large city’s guard such as yours take down one measly gryphon on its own?”

“Because there is no gryphon,” the head of the guard said quietly. “Had to say that was the reason I was hiring ya to ward off suspicion. I think there’s a mole among our ranks.”

“I don’t really do rodents,” said Finn.

The other man didn’t seem to find him humorous. “Every time we make a move on our target, she’s five steps ahead of us, so it’s important that no one knows you’re after her.”

“It’s a her? What is it? A siren?”

“A witch.”

Finn grimaced. “That’s not really what I do.”

“What are you talking about? You’re an abolisher. You abolish magical creatures, yes?”

“Creatures, yes. Not some healer dabbling in magic,” he said. “Hell, even I use magic, from time to time. Should I abolish myself?”

“She’s not just some healer dabbling in magic,” said the head of the guard. “She’s a sorceress using dark magic, which can only bring death and destruction to our city walls.”

“So, what, I’m supposed to kill this woman?”

“Capture her,” he said. “Bring her in for interrogation.”

“You mean torture?”

“Depends how talkative she is.”

Finn heaved a sigh. “Where will I find this supposed dark sorceress?”

“It won’t be easy. She’s elusive, and locals who know her whereabouts are not eager to share that information with the guard. She’s a well respected healer in town.”

“Maybe I could say that I’ve got a disease that needs curing,” said Finn. “Smoke her out.”

“That’s a start. But have you ever dealt with a sorceress before? They’re wily.”

“I’ll manage. What’s the pay like?”

“A hundred now, and two hundred once you bring her to me.”

He crossed his arms like he was considering whether or not to accept this offer. “Fine,” he said. “Any advice on how I might identify her? I wouldn’t want to bring you some innocent healer, after all.”

“All I know is that she’s got long, dark hair and goes by the name Rae.”

***

“Rae?” said a local townswoman when Finn inquired about the healer. “Don’t know anyone by that name.”

He eyed her suspiciously, figuring that she knew more than she was saying, but didn’t press the issue. “Thank you for your time,” he said.

He was getting similar answers from everyone he approached for days. They were right to be untrusting, of course, but he thought he had a rather trustworthy face. He was going to have to use a different tactic.

“Excuse me,” he said to a nearby fish merchant. “You wouldn’t happen to know where I might find a healer, would you?”

The merchant narrowed his eyes. “How come?”

“I’m diseased,” said Finn.

“You look perfectly healthy to me.”

“It’s a… disease in a private area…”

“Ah,” said the merchant. “Believe me, I understand. Every man has his vices; for some it’s drink, for some it’s gambling, for us it’s whores.”

“Yes, well…”

“Know a good healer ‘round here,” he continued. “She fixed me up when I had a similar problem.”

“Where can I find her?”

***

Finn knocked on the door of the small house, where he’d been directed to go to find the healer. It was several moments before it opened, but the young red-haired woman who opened it was not the woman he’d met at the tavern the other night.

“Sorry,” he said. “But you’re not a healer, are you?” She looked far too young to have the sort of experience necessary to be a healer.

“I certainly am,” she replied happily.

“Oh.” He figured she must not be the right healer, anyway. Nevertheless, he thought, she might know where to find Rae. “I’ve got a small problem with my health that needs fixing,” he said.

“That’s what I’m here for. Come in,” she said, stepping aside to let him in.

Part of him wondered if she could actually be the evil sorceress in question — that they’d gotten her description wrong — as she didn’t even hesitate to let a man with a sword into her home. But she didn’t really have the right disposition, he supposed.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“Finn,” he answered. “And you are?”

“Isabelle.”

“Isabelle? Is that a Mollan name?” he asked. “You seem to have a hint of a Mollan accent.”

“Yes. Good ear. Now, tell me, what seems to be the problem?” she said, inviting him to have a seat next to her on a bench.

“Oh, uh, I just feel… lethargic,” he said, trying to think on his feet. “Yeah, tired all the time and in a general sense of pain.”

“I see. Are your teeth feeling loose?” she asked.

“Um, sure.”

“Hmm. Could be scurvy. I have a treatment for that, though.”

“Scurvy? Huh,” he said. “What if I wanted to get a second opinion? Might you know of any other healers in the area I could ask?”

“You don’t trust me?” She sounded more amused than insulted.

“I don’t even know you. You could just be trying to sell me your most expensive potion,” he said, though he was mostly jesting.

She smiled condescendingly. “I told you, I’m Isabelle. I’m from Mollenfort. I’m a healer. If anything, you’re the mysterious one, Finn.”

“I just want to know where I can find this one healer, all right?” he said. “Her name is Rae and—”

“Why are you looking for Rae?” said Isabelle. She suddenly looked concerned.

“I… I met her at a tavern the other night and I was hoping to see her again.”

“Trust me, if she wants you to find her, she’ll find you.”

“You can’t help me at all?” Finn asked her.

“I could,” she said. “But I won’t. Too many people have been looking for Rae of late — bad people.”

“I’m not a bad person!”

“You’re an abolisher.”

“H—how did you know that?”

“It’s not that hard to figure out, with the sword and the way you dress.”

“I just want to talk to her,” he said.

“Like I said, if she wants you to find her, she’ll find you.”

***

“Word on the street is that Finn the Abolisher’s been looking for me.”

Finn looked up from his drink as Rae took a seat across from him at the table. He’d been coming back to the same tavern where they first met every night in the hopes of finding her again, but by the fourth night, he’d given up. That was when she appeared.

“Well,” she said, picking up the mug in front of him, “here I am.” She finished off his drink for him and set the mug back down.

“Here you are, indeed,” he said, somewhat distracted by her rather revealing outfit.

“May I ask why?”

“Why what?”

“Why you’re looking for me.”

“I need a good healer,” he said.

“What was wrong with Isabelle?” she asked, as though she knew full well that he was lying.

“I thought she seemed a bit inexperienced.”

“She’s been healing for over twenty years.”

“Really? She doesn’t look a day over sixteen.”

“That’s because she’s good at what she does.”

“And how long have you been healing?” he asked her.

Rae pursed her lips together like she was trying not to smile. “I’d rather not say,” she replied. “How long have you been fighting monsters?”

“Since I was ten and punched my father in the face while he was drunk,” he said with half a smile. “But I’ve been an abolisher for twelve years.”

“That long?”

“Does that surprise you?”

“You have the brash arrogance of someone with far less experience,” she said.

“I’m just good at what I do,” he said. “At everything I do.”

She flicked her eyebrows up as if to say, “Is that so?”

“Let me buy you another drink,” he added.

“I insist that you do.”

He got up to order another round of drinks for the pair of them, and returned with two mugs in hand. He set one in front of her, but she didn’t down it right away this time.

“So, you didn’t answer my question,” she said. “Why were you looking for me?”

“I did answer it,” he said. “You just didn’t like my answer.”

“I prefer the truth. Or at least a more interesting lie.”

“All right. Why do you think I’ve been looking for you?”

“You found my charm irresistible the other night,” she said with mock wistfulness.

“Well, that’s true.”

“But also you’re an abolisher,” she added. “And I’m… well… you know.”

“A healer?”

“A witch.”

“Six of one, half a dozen of the other,” he said with a shrug. “Besides, witches aren’t really high on my list of enemies.”

“Yes, but I’m a _bad_ witch, haven’t you heard? An _evil_ _sorceress_.” She looked positively amused at the notion.

“There are rumours…”

“Who’s paying you?”

“Who says I’m doing anything worth being paid for?” he said.

“True. You have just been sitting on your ass getting drunk most nights.”

“Have you been watching me?”

“There are eyes everywhere, abolisher,” she said. “And ears. How’s your diseased private area, anyway?”

“That were only a lie to help me find you quicker.”

“Of course…”

“I can prove it to you,” he said. “Come with me back to my room at the inn.”

“They say you should never go with an abolisher to a second location. How about my place instead?”

“I think they say the same about sorceresses.”

“Are you afraid I’ll put a curse on you?” she said.

“See this?” he replied, pointing to a patch sewn onto his sleeve. “It protects me against curses.”

“Then you’ve got nothing to fear.”

“I never said I was afraid.”

“Shall we, then?”

“After you.”

***

Finn tried to make a mental note on the way to Rae’s house so that he would be able to remember how to get there once it was time for him to strike — it did not seem like the right time yet — but his head was a bit foggy from the drink, and he kept forgetting how many left or right turns they’d made.

As he followed Rae, however, he started to wonder if she was just leading him around the town aimlessly to distract him from the fact that it was his job to capture her and bring her in to the head of the guard. He still wasn’t sure how to accomplish that, but he was working on it.

They finally arrived at a modest-looking house — not the sort of place that would have grabbed Finn’s attention. Nothing about it said, “A sorceress lives here.” Even once they were inside, it was quite ordinary.

“No black cat?” he said as he looked around.

“You haven’t met a lot of witches, have you?” Rae replied.

“Not evil ones, no.”

She smiled. “Can I offer you some wine?”

He cast another glance around the space. “Have you got any to offer?”

“In the cellar,” she said, motioning towards a trap door in the floor near the back of her house. “Feel free to take a look.”

Cautiously, he made his way over to the trap door and opened it to reveal a staircase leading down into the cellar. “Are you planning to confine me down here?” he asked before continuing.

“And why would I do that?”

“Because I’ve been hired to capture you; you might be trying to neutralize the threat.”

“Maybe I would, if I thought you were a threat.”

She was challenging him, he knew it, and yet he still went down into the cellar. She followed close behind him.

It was as though he’d just walked into a completely different home. It was big — it looked bigger than the space upstairs — and was full of potions and charms and other objects of the occult.

“Is that blood?” he asked, pointing to a vial on a shelf.

“Goat’s blood, yes,” she said, as though it were something completely normal to have on one’s shelf.

“And what’s it for?” He knew that goat’s blood could be used in some innocuous magical remedies, but it could also be used with dark magic.

“Raising evil spirits, of course,” she said sarcastically. “The wine is just over here, by the way.”

He followed her towards a wall filled with bottles of wine. He’d never seen so many in one place. “How can a healer afford all of this?” he said.

“My services are highly sought-after,” she replied. “And very expensive. As are yours, I’m sure.”

“You’re still talking about healing, aren’t you?”

“Broadly speaking, yes.”

“And not so broadly?”

“I offer people relief from their problems, whatever they may be,” she said.

“And what do you think my problem is?” he asked.

She pulled a bottle out of its spot on the wall. “You’re too untrusting.”

“In my line of work, I have to be.”

“I suppose,” she said. She held the bottle up for him to inspect. “Is this acceptable?”

“I must admit, I don’t know anything about wine,” he said, turning the bottle over in his hands.

“It’s from Tertia,” she explained. “It’s illegal now, what with the war between Tertia and Mollenfort.”

“How’d you get your hands on it?”

“I have my ways.” She then muttered something indecipherable and the bottle opened on its own, startling him. “Shall we?”

She led the way back upstairs and procured a couple of goblets from a cupboard.

“So,” he said, handing the bottle back to her so she could pour the wine, “is this how you entertain all the people who try to hunt you down?”

“Most of them never find me.”

“Am I just lucky, then?”

“You might be.”

“I worry my luck’s going to run out any minute, though,” he said as he took one of the goblets from her.

“I think your odds are pretty good.”

***

Finn was a little disoriented when he woke up. He’d been expecting to find himself at Rae’s house, as that was the last place he remembered being. He had no memory of returning to his room at the inn. Yet there he was.

His knowledge of the previous night’s events was hazy at best, but he was almost certain he’d fallen asleep in Rae’s bed, after… well… just, after. After the wine and the flirting and the…

Unless he’d dreamt the whole thing. He didn’t typically have dreams, though it wouldn’t be the first time a witch had cast a spell on him causing him to dream. At least it wasn’t a nightmare, this time.

The last time such a spell had been cast on him, he spent a week struggling with horrible nightmares after he’d left a woman in the middle of the night without so much as a note to say goodbye. Unfortunately, he did leave a hair on her pillow, so she was able to curse him from afar. Suffice it to say, he was much more cautious around witches now, hence the patch on his sleeve.

Or, at least, he had been more cautious up to this point. Whatever happened with Rae, he’d clearly let his guard down. She must have poisoned him and filled his head with memories of things that never happened. Admittedly, he wasn’t complaining, as the memories were… pleasant… but he knew he’d have to be more careful with her.

He wasn’t sure how he was even going to find her again — he did indeed forget the route to her house — or what he was going to do once he did. He knew he’d need to use some sort of magic to capture a witch, but if she was really a powerful sorceress, he wasn’t sure he had the magic to restrain her.

There was only one thing for him to do: seek expert advice.


	2. Chapter 2

It was two days’ ride up to the capital city for Finn, but it was worth it to visit the only person he knew who might be able to help him capture Rae.

Archibald was a scholar, and a foremost expert on all sorts of magic and magical creatures. He was also a close friend that Finn had met while doing some work in Leaverton many years ago. But Archibald had moved up the ranks of society since those days, and could now be found in the capital of Affenland. Word was that he’d even done consultations for King Affen VIII himself.

Finn located him at the university, in a research chamber just off the main library.

“There he is,” Finn said when he walked in, his arms open wide. “If it isn’t Archibald the Articulate!”

Archibald looked up from the tome he was studying at his desk and replied, “If it isn’t Finn the Fucking—”

“All right, enough with the pleasantries,” said Finn, interrupting his friend. “I have a problem and I need your help.”

“What’s her name?” Archibald asked.

“I… What? How did you…?”

“I’ve told you before, I’m not going to research spells to make women fall madly in love with you,” he added.

“As if I’d need help with that,” said Finn. “No, my problem is with a woman, but it’s of a different nature.”

“Women aren’t really one of my areas of expertise.”

“But magic is,” he said. “And I’m dealing with a dark sorceress here.”

That seemed to get Archibald’s attention. “You sure? It’s not just some vengeful witch you’ve scorned?”

“I’ve learned my lesson, Arch. No, I’ve been hired by the head of the guard to hunt down and capture this sorceress in Halesborough,” Finn explained.

“How do you plan to do that?”

“I’m not sure. That’s why I’m here, asking you for help.”

“Hmm. Do you want her alive?”

“Yes. And unharmed.”

“Why?” asked Archibald.

“Why what?”

“Why do you want her unharmed?”

“It just seems unnecessary to hurt her,” said Finn.

“If the head of the guard suspects she’s a dark sorceress, don’t you think he’ll hurt her anyway? What difference does it make?”

“I just… I don’t want to hurt her myself, all right?”

“Does the mean old abolisher have a conscience after all?” Archibald teased. “Not a great one, since you’re willing to capture her and hand her over to certain torture and possible death, but still…”

“I’m just doing my job,” said Finn.

“That’s what soldiers from Tertia say while they torture and burn Mollan civilians.”

“I’m talking about bringing down a potentially dangerous user of dark magic,” he argued. “I’m not attacking innocent people in their homes.”

“All right, all right.” Archibald got up and pulled a book off a nearby shelf. He flipped through the pages for a moment before adding, “The safest way of capturing a sorceress without harming her is to use giant’s tears.”

“Giant’s tears? What’ll that do?”

“It will act as a paralysis to magic. She’ll be perfectly fine, just incapable of using magic until the tears’ effect has worn off after a few hours.”

“That’s long enough for me to get her to the guard; then she’s their problem,” said Finn. “Where exactly do I find giant’s tears, anyway? An alchemist?”

“Not many alchemists stock it,” Archibald said. “Because of it’s anti-magical properties, it doesn’t combine well with other ingredients. It’s pretty much useless in potions, not to mention extremely hard to gather.”

“Where, then?”

“You’ll have to go to the source. Find a giant. There are lots just north of Granesrow.”

“Yeah, I know,” Finn said, as though that should have been obvious, since he grew up there. “Trouble is, how do I get the tears?”

“Let me see…” Archibald replied, flipping through the book in his hands. “It seems they don’t shed tears easily. But they are very close to their families. You kill one of them, and his brother will start crying. Just be careful; he’ll try to kill you, too.”

“Oh, great…”

“It’s all you’ve got, unless you want to harm her,” he said. “And if she really is using dark magic, you don’t have a lot of other options.”

***

It took Finn nearly a week to get over to Granesrow, but he did stop a couple of times along the way to rid villages of pests.

While back in his hometown, he made a point of visiting his mother — though her tombstone was not overly talkative. He always thought it to be some sort of cruel joke that his father was buried right next to her, when he’d done nothing but abuse her until the day she died in childbirth. Finn’s stillborn brother was also buried with them, though Finn felt nothing but contempt towards him, too. He blamed both his father and his brother for the death of his mother, even though he knew it was irrational to blame a baby that never even lived.

In any case, it was a giant’s tears he was after, not his own, so he didn’t visit long.

He was weary from his journey, so he decided to take the night to rest in his own bed for the first time in weeks. He would go giant-hunting in the morning.

Of course, he couldn’t very well get a decent night’s rest before having a drink at the nearest tavern. He was greeted by a slew of familiar faces as he walked in, and he finally felt that he was home.

He ordered a mug of the local brew and took it over to an empty table in the corner. He nodded at several of the regulars on his way, but decided he didn’t feel much like catching up tonight. He needed to focus on his strategy for tomorrow. He stared at the mug in his hands on the table in front of him as he pondered how he was going to collect those giant’s tears.

“Hello, Finn.”

Finn looked up and saw a young blonde woman standing in front of him. “Anastasia,” he said; he was not exactly pleased to see her, but he tried not to let that show.

“I’d rather you call me Stacey,” the woman replied.

“You think it’s your name that gives away that you’re from Tertia? Your accent’s not exactly subtle.”

“Never mind that,” she said as she sat next to him. “What are you doing back in Granesrow?”

“I live here, don’t I?”

“I haven’t seen you around lately…”

“My work takes me all across Affenland,” he said. “You know that.”

“You mean it takes you far away from me,” she said.

“You knew what I did for a living when we met; you can’t act like you’re surprised.”

“I’m not surprised, it’s just that you said you would come home more often. Or at least write.”

“I don’t exactly have time to write while I’m on the road,” he said.

“Do you even love me anymore?” she asked.

“Don’t be foolish.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He rolled his eyes up to the ceiling and then looked down at his drink again. “It means that’s a silly question. You’re my betrothed, after all.”

“And is this how things are going to be once we’re married? I see you once a month and you ignore me?”

“I have to work, you know,” he said impatiently.

“Why can’t you get a regular job, then? Why must you do something so dangerous that takes you so far away?”

“I’m good at it.” He decided not to mention that distance from her was a perk of the job.

It wasn’t that he disliked Anastasia — or Stacey, as she preferred to be known locally — but he certainly didn’t love her. He wouldn’t even be marrying her if it weren’t for the fact that her father was going to pay him a lot of coin to help her assimilate and keep her from harm’s way.

It was risky for her to seek refuge in Affenland, since her homeland was currently at war with Affenland’s ally, Mollenfort. But she had spoken out against the war, and her own people treated her like a criminal. Although he was sympathetic about her history, none of this made Finn love her, but if she were to know that then she would never marry him and he would never get paid.

How hard could it be to marry her, anyway? His job took him around the country, where he would fight all the monsters he could, and sleep with all the women he wished, and only see her once in a while to make sure she was settling in all right. It seemed like a perfect system.

“How long are you staying this time?” she asked, placing her hand on his.

“Just until tomorrow,” he answered. He lifted his mug to his lips, causing her hand to fall away.

“Do you want to stay with me tonight, then?” She traced the patch on his sleeve with her finger. “I can sneak you into my room.”

He looked at her sideways, like he was considering it, then said, “I really need a good night’s sleep tonight; I have to find and kill a giant tomorrow.”

“Why do you have to do that?”

“It’s a long story.” He tipped back his mug and finished off his drink before setting it back on the table. “I’d better go.”

“Be careful,” she said, holding onto his arm as he stood up.

“I always am.”

***

Just north of the city of Granesrow were some ancient ruins, which were home to many giants. They hid amongst the crumbling walls and passages. They tended to keep to themselves, so Finn never had to face one before, and he wasn’t entirely sure how he was going to do it. First, he had to find one, though.

He rode his horse almost to the edge of the ruins — he would walk the rest of the way so as not to draw attention to himself. As he walked, he passed the weathered faces of several gargoyles. Most were just architectural elements designed to draw water away from the buildings and ward off evil spirits, but he knew that some had been cursed with life, to defend the buildings from physical intruders. He just hoped they had all died off ages ago.

As he turned a corner, Finn was startled to notice that one of them had fallen to the ground and was laying on its side, facing away from him. He silently drew his sword and walked towards it cautiously. He prodded it a couple of times, keeping himself at sword’s length from it, but it didn’t budge.

Satisfied that the gargoyle was either dead or had never been alive, he continued on his way past it. He stopped just as he was about to turn another corner, though, because he heard a noise. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he suspected it was a giant coming his way. He crouched behind a broken column as huge footsteps approached.

The column was shaking as the giant walked by, and Finn held his breath, hoping that the column wouldn’t fall over and expose him. He knew the giant could squash him with one step if it found him. They weren’t particularly friendly.

Finn waited until he could no longer hear the footsteps in the distance before moving forward. He decided to head in the direction the giant had gone, thinking that maybe he could sneak up and attack it from behind. He hadn’t gotten very far, however, when he heard a cracking sound overhead. He looked up to see a gargoyle above him, and he ducked out of the way just in time to avoid getting crushed by it.

For a second, he worried that the noise would attract the giant’s attention and bring it back towards him, until he realized he had a more immediate problem; the gargoyle started to move.

Finn drew his sword without hesitation as the gargoyle began to unfurl its wings. It was an ugly thing, like some sort of flying lizard monkey. He knew his sword wasn’t going to do him any good against living stone, though, but he had to do something.

As he dodged the gargoyle’s attacks, he tried to remember what he had learned about them in his training, about their weaknesses. He cast a fire spell on it, but that didn’t seem to have any effect.

What was it again that could defeat gargoyles?

Ice.

That was it! Ice would cause the stone to crack enough that he would be able to shatter it with his sword.

He immediately cast a frost spell against the gargoyle, which caused it to slow down significantly. He continued casting the spell as he heard the cracks make their way through its body. Finally, once it was on the ground, screeching with pain, he smashed the hilt of his sword into the biggest crack he could find and the whole gargoyle fell to pieces.

Finn took a moment to catch his breath before he carried on. Unfortunately, he’d gotten turned around — all these ruins looked the same to him — and couldn’t remember which way he was supposed to be going. He picked a direction, though, and started walking.

After walking for a while, he heard a sound coming from up ahead, and slowed his pace. It wasn’t footsteps this time. It sounded like… snoring. Really big snoring.

The sound grew louder as he got closer, and soon he realized that it was just around the corner from him. Carefully, he peered around until he spotted the maker of the sound. It was a sleeping giant. He wasn’t sure if it was the one from before, but it didn’t matter. The fact that it was asleep meant that this was his chance.

He felt a little bad, though. To just go up and kill a giant in its sleep, when it had done nothing, all so he could make its brother cry… it just seemed cruel. Finn was the first to admit that he wasn’t the kindest person in the kingdom, but was he really that terrible? There had to be another way…

Then he got an idea.

He pulled a small vial from his satchel and examined it for a moment to make sure it was the right one. It was a potion that, when ingested, would cause one’s nose to run and one’s eyes to water uncontrollably. He kept it on him in case anything ever tried to eat him. But he figured it could prove useful now.

He crept towards the giant, aware that it could wake up at any moment. When he reached its head, he opened the vial and tipped the potion into its mouth. He wondered if this amount would be enough. He knew it didn’t take much to make a man’s eyes water — from personal experience — but he had no idea about a giant. Perhaps it would require a larger dose.

He didn’t have to wonder long, however, as fluid started dripping from the giant’s nose shortly afterwards. He quickly grabbed an empty vial from his satchel and held it underneath the giant’s eye to catch any tears. He saw a huge tear start to form in the corner of its eye, and he waited for it to drop.

The giant started grumbling with discomfort, and Finn knew it was likely to wake up soon. The tear dropped into the vial and he sealed it up right as the giant’s eye opened, startling him. He fell backwards, scurrying like a crab back towards the passage way from which he had come.

He managed to get to his feet before the giant did and ran away as fast as he could. He wasn’t even paying attention to where he was running; he just ran. He turned corners at random, though he could hear huge footsteps getting closer.

Finally, he spotted the way out and ran as fast as he could towards his horse. He fumbled getting up into the saddle, as he was panicked, then took off in a gallop towards town. He knew the giant wouldn’t follow, as they tended to avoid human settlements whenever possible.

He didn’t stop until he got to Granesrow, though; only then did he take a second to actually breathe. He took the vial of tears out of his satchel to look at it for a moment. He could hardly believe he’d actually done it.

But, he suspected, that was the easy part. Now he had to get Rae to drink it.

***

“Well, well, well,” said Rae as she sidled up to Finn’s table at the Stork and Sturgeon. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Best drink in town,” Finn replied, holding up his mug. “For the price, anyway.”

“I meant here in Halesborough,” she said, sitting down across from him. “I thought you’d left for good.”

“Think I scare off that easily?”

She smiled a little. “Of course not.”

“I had some business to attend to out of town,” he explained. “But I’m back. For a while, anyway.”

“That’s good to know.”

“Is it?” He took a drink from his mug to hide the fact that he was pleased.

“It can get so boring around here,” she said. “At least getting hunted by an abolisher adds a little excitement to my life.”

“I’m not hunting you,” he said as he set his mug down. “I know when to admit defeat, and I know there’s no way I’ll get you, so I quit.”

She raised her eyebrow skeptically, though she was still smiling. “Didn’t think you’d give up so quickly.”

“It’s cost versus benefit. I wasn’t getting paid enough for the hassle.”

“That’s a shame… You’re the only one who’s ever stood a chance.”

“Is that so?”

“Let’s just say I don’t spend the night with everyone who comes looking for me.”

“Wait, that wasn’t a dream?” he asked.

“You thought it was a dream?”

“Well, I woke up at the inn, so I thought you’d put a spell on me to make me dream that we’d…”

“I transported you back there while you were sleeping so you wouldn’t see the location of my house in the sober light of day.” She laughed a little. “I didn’t think you were _that_ drunk, though.”

“Speaking of, can I get you a drink?” he said, trying to change the direction of the conversation to something less embarrassing than his shoddy memory.

“I thought you’d never ask,” she said. “I’ll have whatever you’re having.”

“Here,”—he pushed the mug across the table towards her—“you can finish that and I’ll get us a couple more.”

She took the mug without batting an eye and finished it off before he could even get up. “Make it a few,” she said.

Finn went and ordered two more drinks, for starters, but before he brought them back to the table, he put a couple drops from a vial into one of them. He was careful to place that one in front of Rae when he sat down.

“Cheers,” he said, holding up his mug towards her.

“Cheers.” She lifted hers towards him as well and brought it to her lips. She stopped before taking a sip, though, and looked at him. “Giant’s tears? Really?”

“What?”

“You think I can’t smell giant’s tears in this?” she said. She appeared angry for a moment, then broke into a smile. “I knew you were still hunting me.”

“At least I was trying to do it without hurting you,” he said.

“You could never hurt me, Finn.”

“I’m starting to suspect that.”

“But I am impressed that you managed to get a giant’s tears,” she continued. “Did you collect it yourself?”

He nodded.

“Hmm…” She thought silently for a moment, which made him very uncomfortable. “I might be able to use someone like you,” she finally said. “You see, there’s something I need, and I’d rather not get it myself.”

“What is it?” he asked warily.

“A friend of mine was poisoned, and I need to make an antidote in the next couple of days or she’ll get very sick,” she explained.

“And where do I come in?”

“Well, in order to synthesize the antidote, I need some of the venom that poisoned her. Garar venom.”

“How’d she get garar poisoning?”

“She had a domesticated garar that went mad and attacked her,” she said. “I suspect someone intentionally aggravated it, because it had been docile up to that point.”

“Can’t you just extract the venom from that one?” he said.

“Her guards put it down as soon as it attacked; it was too late by the time I got there. The venom needs to be extracted right away.”

“So I’m supposed to go find a wild garar and get its venom?”

“It would be greatly appreciated, yes.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t work for great appreciation.”

“If you help me, I’ll help you.”

“How?”

“I’ll let you turn me in to the guard and collect your reward,” she said. “Hassle-free.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

He eyed her suspiciously, but figured it was the best shot he had of getting his payment. “All right. Give me a few days.”

“You can have two.”

He knew there was no point in trying to negotiate — a woman’s life was at stake. “I’ll see you in two days.”

***

It was nearly a day’s ride just for Finn to get to the far side of Leaverton, where he knew there to be a garar colony. Garars — or gargantuan arachnids — were, exactly as the name would suggest, enormous spiders. They tended to live in abandoned mines and caves on the outskirts of cities, occasionally preying on passersby who wandered out too late at night. But during the day they generally stayed hidden.

Unfortunately for Finn, he’d already cleared out the closest infested mine less than a month ago, so he was not likely to find any back there yet. He wasn’t exactly sure where to locate the colony on the other side of Leaverton, so he had to look for clues.

A trail of deer’s blood leading into a cave seemed like a good place to start.

Sure enough, there was webbing a few feet into the entrance. He slashed at it with his sword and continued through.

It was pretty dark inside, so he cast a torch spell which helped illuminate the space from a flame in the palm of his other hand. He noticed something scurry away; garars didn’t much care for light. He followed in the direction that it went, hoping to get the venom and be done with it.

He found it huddling in a corner, though once it seemed to realize that it had nowhere to go, it turned on him. He dodged its fangs by jumping back and took a swing with his sword. He nicked one of its legs, but that was it. It came at him again, and this time he leapt sideways and came around from behind to stab it right through the abdomen. It let out a squealing noise and fell limp.

Finn twisted the sword just for insurance before pulling it out and sheathing it. He was going to have to hurry to get the venom out before the garar was completely dead. He was about to reach for the vial in his satchel when he heard a scurrying noise behind him.

He quickly drew out his sword again as he turned around to face the source of the sound. Three more garars.

He cast a fire spell at them to ward them off so he could take them on one at a time with his sword.

Swing. Two legs gone. Crunch. Right through the cephalothorax. Squeal. One more down.

As he started thrashing his sword at the next garar, its buddy came up behind him and bit him on the back of his thigh.

“Fuck!” he exclaimed, whipping his sword around and clean through the beast.

He finished off the last of them before leaning against the cavern wall for a breather. He knew he’d have to be quick and get that venom, though, as there were likely to be more of them.

He squeezed some venom out of one of the garars’ fangs, the way Rae had told him to, and into a vial. He filled a second one, since now she was going to have to cure him, too.

It was dark by the time he left the cavern, and he knew that the garars were going to come out looking for prey any minute now. He got on his horse and rode off, heading for town at full speed.

***

Finn spent the night at an inn in Leaverton, and spent the next day riding back to Halesborough. He pulled up to the stables before sundown, and made his way to the tavern swiftly, knowing there was no time to lose — especially now that he, too, had been poisoned.

Rae was already there waiting for him, even though he was earlier than their agreed meeting time.

“Did you get it?” she asked, rushing towards him as soon as she spotted him. She looked legitimately concerned, for once.

“Of course I did,” he said arrogantly. “Here.”

She examined the vials when he handed them to her. “Two?”

“I sort of… got bitten, too,” he added, his arrogance waning.

She sighed heavily and said, “Fine. Come with me.”

He followed her to what he now recognized was her house, only this time he was sober enough to remember the route they took. Well, he was a little woozy from the poison, but he thought he could probably remember it.

When they got inside, she went straight to the far corner of the house — her bedroom, if he recalled correctly. He followed her uncertainly and found a young woman lying in the bed. Upon closer look, however, he noticed that the woman was in fact an elf, so she probably wasn’t nearly as young as she looked. Young for an elf, he supposed.

“Chloe?” Rae said as she knelt by the bedside. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” the elf replied, her eyelids fluttering.

“You can’t go to sleep, all right? I’m going to make the antidote right now,” said Rae. “Finn,” she added, turning to face him, “make sure she doesn’t sleep.”

“How am I supposed to do that?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Talk to her!” She got up and hurried out of the room.

Finn could hear the trap door to the cellar open and close. He turned his attention to the semi-conscious elf on the bed. “Hey, there,” he said uncomfortably.

“Who’re you?” the elf asked, wrapping her arms around herself.

“I’m Finn,” he answered. “I’m… a friend of Rae’s. I’m the one who went to get the venom.”

“I see.”

“And who’re you, exactly?”

“Who do I look like?”

“Uh… an elf?”

“Elven princess,” she said, like he should have been able to tell. “Name’s Chloe.”

“Is that supposed to mean something to me?”

“Apparently not.”

“I’m sorry, I’m not familiar with all the elvish royalty, m’lady,” he said insincerely.

She huffed and looked away from him without saying another word. So he stood there silently, watching to make sure she wasn’t falling asleep, until Rae returned with two goblets.

“Here,” she said, handing one to him. “Drink this.”

He sniffed the liquid inside. “Ugh, smells awful!”

“And it tastes awful, too,” she assured him. “Now, drink!”

She helped Chloe sit up to drink from the other goblet, too, while Finn drank his as quickly as he could, pinching his nose so he wouldn’t taste it as much.

“Blech!” he groaned when he was done.

“Now,” said Rae, “don’t do anything strenuous for the next day. It’s going to take a while to kick in.”

“You sure I shouldn’t just stay here for observation?” he asked with a cheeky grin.

“You’ll be fine.”

He started to leave, but she kept talking for a moment.

“Oh, and Finn?” she said. “Day after tomorrow we’ll pay a visit to the guard, yeah?”

“Sounds good.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Well done,” said the head of the guard when Finn brought him Rae, arms tied behind her back. “She matches the description of the wanted dark sorceress perfectly.”

“ _Alleged_ dark sorceress,” she said indignantly.

“We’ll see about that.”

“I administered giant’s tears,” Finn explained to him. “So she’ll be unable to use magic for a few hours. Hopefully that will be enough time.”

“I can’t believe I trusted you, Finn!” Rae said as she tried to wriggle out of her restraints. “When I get out, I’m going to kill you!”

“We’ve got a magic-proof cell to keep her in, so don’t worry,” the head of the guard said to him.

“Great,” said Finn, pushing Rae towards the other man. “So…”

“Ah, yes, your payment. Here you are. One hundred.”

“You said two hundred,” he said, looking at the coin purse he’d just been handed.

“One hundred for bringing her in, and another hundred if she turns out to be the right sorceress.”

“That wasn’t the agreement!”

“It is now.”

“This is bullshit!”

“You’re lucky I’m paying you at all, after you took your merry time getting her here,” said the head of the guard. “Now, would you kindly leave so I can start my interrogation?”

Finn glanced at Rae, who appeared to be quietly seething, before he exited.

“You haven’t seen the last of me, Finn the Abolisher!” he heard her yell as the door closed behind him.

***

Finn waited until nightfall to make his way to Rae’s house, creeping from shadow to shadow so as not to be seen. There was no answer at the door when he knocked, so he leaned against the door and waited. He hoped nothing had gone wrong with the plan. Had she not managed to escape in time? Was the guard’s cell really magic-proof? Was she—

He nearly toppled backwards into the house when the door opened suddenly.

“Don’t just stand there,” Rae said to him as he regained his balance. “Get in!”

“How did you…?” he began. “I’ve been standing out here all night.”

“You think there’s only one way in and out of my home?” she said with a laugh.

“Only one that I know of,” he said.

“You and everyone else, fortunately. Though you’re about to learn a second way out in a minute.” She started to gather items and put them into a large bag. “Come on,” she added, leading him down to the cellar, where she collected a few more items into her bag.

“What exactly is the next part of the plan?” he asked. “You only told me to meet you here after you escape the guard; what do we do now?”

“We get the hell out of here,” she said.

“What?”

“I can’t exactly stay and have them find me again, can I? Sure, their supposed ‘magic-proof’ cell is absolutely useless, but I don’t want to spend the rest of my life continuously escaping prison.”

“So you’re, what, relocating?”

“To the capital.”

“Why not just do that, then? Why did you let them get you at all?” he said.

“This way you get a bit of coin.” She smiled. “A hundred, right? That’ll keep us for a few days when we arrive until I can get settled.”

“We?”

“You’re coming with me. Once they realize that you never actually administered the giant’s tears, they’ll be after you as well,” she explained. “Besides, I’ve never been to the capital before; I need a guide.”

“I wish you had told me this part of the plan beforehand!”

“Would it have changed anything?”

“…No.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” She went over to the wall of wine, pulled out a bottle near the top lefthand corner, and the whole wall moved, exposing a small passageway into the sewers. “Let’s go.”

***

After making their way through the sewers of Halesborough, Finn and Rae ended up at the stables on the outskirts of town.

“Have you got a horse?” Finn asked Rae as he prepped his horse for the journey.

“Not yet…” she said before going over to the stable master. She returned after a minute, smiling, and went up to the horse next to Finn’s. “Now I do.”

“Did you just buy that horse?” he said.

She nodded.

“Do you even know how to ride?”

“Yes, I know how to ride. Let’s just get out of here.”

They set off to the west, even though the capital was north of them, as they were at the southern edge of the city and needed to go all the way around so as not to attract attention. It added half a day to their journey, but it was worth it not to get caught.

They rode at a decent speed for as long as their horses could manage before slowing to a trot for a stretch.

“Can I just ask you something?” said Finn as they rode alongside one another.

“I have a feeling you’re going to ask me anyway,” Rae replied.

“Couldn’t you have, you know, magically transported us to the capital?” he asked. “Why have us ride nearly three days to get there?”

“I told you, I’ve never been before.”

“So?”

“So I don’t like to transport somewhere I’ve never been — I could wind up split in half by a wall or sign post,” she explained. “I need to be able to visualize where I’m going.”

“Why not just go somewhere you have been, then?”

“The furthest I’ve ever travelled was Leaverton.”

“Really? That’s it?”

“I’ve lived near Halesborough all my life.”

“So, why now?”

“Why now…?”

“Why now are people trying to hunt you down?” he said. “Why now did you decide to leave?”

“Oh.” She sighed. “Disgruntled customer.”

“What does that mean?”

“A woman came to me when her husband was dying, asking me to cure him,” she said. “Told her there was nothing I could do. They were both getting up in years; it was his time. She begged me to do something — anything — no matter the cost. I explained to her that the only way to cure one man’s death was to cause another, which I refused to do. She got angry and started telling everyone that I was using dark magic.”

“Even though it sounds like you explicitly _refused_ to use dark magic?”

“Yes.”

“So… have you ever used dark magic, then?” he asked.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

***

After stopping briefly to get some food and let their horses rest, Finn and Rae travelled until sundown the next day. They found a village half-way to the capital and decided to stop at the local inn for the night. The inn was small, with only one room available when they arrived.

“Kind of cramped, isn’t it?” Finn said when they got to their room.

“We’re just here to sleep, not host a banquet,” said Rae, setting her bag on top of the dresser, which was so close to the bed it looked as though its drawers could not open fully.

Finn placed his sword carefully in the corner of the room before removing his leather cuirass.

“Finn?”

He turned around to see Rae with her back to him, looking over her shoulder.

“A little help?” she asked, sweeping her hair to one side to expose the back buttons of her gown.

It took him a moment to realize what she was asking him to do, but then he took a couple of steps towards her — it was a very small room — and started unfastening her buttons. There were a lot of them, and they were very tiny. He wasn’t used to working with such intricate details.

“How did you get this done up by yourself?” he asked once he was done half of them.

She snapped her fingers and the rest of the buttons opened on their own.

“Why’d you need my help, then?” he said, staring at her back. He was surprised that she did not seem to be wearing any undergarment, like a chemise — he couldn’t remember much from their previous encounter, though, so this may have been her usual manner of dress.

“I wanted to make you work for it.,” she said as she slowly turned to face him and let her gown fall to the floor.

“Obviously not too hard,” he replied, his eyes wandering over her figure.

“I get bored easily.” She snapped her fingers again, causing his tunic to untie and his hose to detach from his belt.

He removed his now-unfastened outer clothes, but before he could take off his linen shirt underneath, she was already lifting it with her hands. “Impatient, are we?” he said, pulling it the rest of the way.

She held onto his belt and pulled him closer while she opened it. He stumbled forward and nearly tripped over his breeches as they fell to the floor as well, holding onto her to steady himself.

“For someone who spends his days fighting monsters, you certainly don’t have the best footwork,” she said.

“Usually they’re not undressing me,” he said. “Besides, it’s not my footwork you’re after now, is it?”

She flicked her eyebrows up and shoved him sideways. “I suppose not,” she replied as he landed on the bed.

***

When Finn awoke the next morning, he expected to find Rae lying naked beside him, as she had been all night. But when he reached out for her with eyes closed, he found nothing. Afraid that she’d transported him somewhere alone again, he opened his eyes quickly only to see her standing next to the door, getting dressed. He was relieved, but also slightly disappointed.

“Get up,” she said as she pulled on her gown.

He looked down at the sheet-covered portion of his body and said, “I think I am up.”

She gave him a patronizing smile, though she did not seem amused. “We’ve got to go. It won’t be long before they come after us,” she said. “We’re not safe until we’re in the capital.”

“What makes you think you’ll be safe in the capital?” he asked as he got out of bed and picked up his underclothes off the floor. “They despise dark magic up there most of all; they burn suspected dark sorcerers.”

“I never said I used dark magic,” she said, snapping her fingers to fasten all her buttons. “Besides, I have a friend in the capital who can help me lay low for a while.”

“Who do you know in the capital?”

***

“Archie!” Rae said enthusiastically as she flung open the door of the research chamber — after knocking, of course.

“Archie?” Finn asked in disbelief. He had no idea that Rae and Archibald knew one another, nor had he known anyone to call him that.

“Finn?” said Archibald, looking just as surprised to see him there. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m… I’m… helping.”

“He helped me escape Halesborough,” Rae explained. “I didn’t realize you two knew each other.”

“We go way back,” Archibald replied, though he still looked confused.

“He’s the one who told me to use giant’s tears on you,” Finn said to Rae, putting a hand on the other man’s shoulder. “What he didn’t tell me was that you’d be able to smell it in your drink.”

“You never asked.”

“Why would you tell him to use giant’s tears on me in the first place?” Rae asked, hands on her hips.

“I didn’t know it was for you, did I?” said Archibald. “He just said it was for some sorceress in Halesborough.”

“And how many Halish sorceresses do you know, Archie?”

“I’m sorry, it didn’t even occur to me that he could have meant you,” he said. “You’re usually so discreet, I thought it couldn’t be. It wasn’t until you sent me that message about needing to flee to the capital that I put it all together.” He eyed Finn suspiciously. “Didn’t expect you to show up with him, though.”

“Don’t look at me like I’m some sort of villain!” said Finn, pretending to be more offended than he was. “I told you I didn’t want to harm her.”

“You were also going to hand her over to be tortured.”

“Well, I did that, too, I suppose.”

“Never mind all that,” said Rae. “Do you have somewhere for us to stay for a few days before I can get settled?”

“There are some spare rooms here at the university, currently,” said Archibald. “I already procured one for you, when I didn’t realize you’d be travelling with anyone. I can procure another, though.”

Before Finn could respond, Rae said, “Thank you. That would be great.”

***

“Sleep well?” Rae asked when she met Finn outside his room the next morning.

“Great,” he replied, though he had hoped she would have paid him a visit the previous night — he’d had no desire to spend the night alone, but he did so anyway, despite the fact that he could have gone out, flashed his sword, and found some young woman willing to share his bed. (Once again, abolishers were quite popular in the capital.)

“I’ve already spoken to Archie about looking for work,” she continued as they walked down the corridor. “He knows an apothecary who needs an apprentice.”

“Weren’t you the top healer in Halesborough?” he said. “Seems like you’re the one who deserves an apprentice.”

“I can’t exactly use my actual credentials, now, can I?” she said. “Archie’s going to back me up, say I’m from Leaverton, that I dabble in healing.”

“Is that really what you want? I doubt you’ll be able to live the lavish lifestyle you were used to as an apprentice.”

“It’s a start, anyway.”

He followed her out of the hall of residence and down several streets to the apothecary. (Archibald had given her the directions, and she had an excellent memory.)

When they got inside, however, the man who greeted them seemed more interested in Finn’s presence.

“Say, are you an abolisher?” the man asked eagerly.

“I am,” Finn said slowly. “Is that a problem?”

“On the contrary! I have a little job that needs doing, something that would be perfect for an abolisher.”

“I’m actually the one seeking work,” Rae cut in. “I heard you were looking for an apprentice.”

“That’s true,” the man said. “But there’s something else I need even more than an apprentice right now.”

“What’s that?” said Finn, as the man was looking at him again.

“I’m all out of alicorn,” he said. “You hunt magical creatures, yes? You could hunt down a unicorn for me!”

“A unicorn? But they’re no pest to anyone.”

“Yes, but their horn has many medicinal properties, and it’s getting so difficult to import, with the war and all.”

“I understand, but still—”

“I’ll reward you for it.”

Finn was intrigued.

“What about me?” said Rae. “The apprenticeship?”

“Look, if you help him get me that alicorn, I’ll give you the job, all right?” said the man.

“You’ll still reward me, though, right?” Finn asked, as though he’d forgotten why they were really there.

“Yes, yes, I’ll reward you, too. Just get me that horn!”

***

In the forest to the east of the capital, there had been many reported sightings of unicorns, so Finn and Rae headed there first. It was nearly a half day’s ride out there, so he hoped they’d be able to get the hunt over with quickly, before night set in and worse things than unicorns started to appear.

“How exactly do we intend to find a unicorn in the first place?” he asked when they dismounted their horses as they entered the forest.

“They can be lured by beautiful young women,” said Rae, like she was referring to herself.

“I thought the young women were supposed to be virgins…” he said, trying not to laugh.

“That’s just a myth,” she replied. “I think.”

“What’s the plan, then?”

“Well, I know a spell for intensifying attraction. It will make me irresistible.”

“…Do you use this spell often?” he asked.

“I’ve never had to before,” she said with a sly smile. “Now, go hide behind that tree, so you don’t scare the damn thing away.”

Finn did as she said, but kept watching her. He saw her say something indecipherable and wave her hands in the air in front of her.

She was quite beautiful — he’d always thought so — but now there was something about her…

He could feel his heart rate speed up as he looked at her, so he tried closing his eyes, but it did nothing. It was as though he could smell her, from all the way over here. He opened his eyes again and stared at her, holding himself up against the tree. He felt dizzy.

By the time her back was turned to him, he could no longer take it; he pushed himself away from the tree and stumbled towards her.

She looked back over her shoulder as he approached, apparently startled. “Finn,” she said. “I thought I told you to hide.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and started kissing the side of her neck.

“What are you doing?” she said with a laugh.

He began to gather up the material of her ankle-length gown.

“Finn,” she said as he continued kissing her neck. “We… we shouldn’t…”

“We definitely should,” he said, breathing heavily, before pushing her forward against the nearest tree.

He unfastened his belt, pulling down his breeches and hose part way, then lifted the back of her gown as she braced herself against the tree with her hands.

“Hurry, then,” she said. “We don’t want to scare the unicorns away.”

There was no need to tell him to hurry, though, as he was already quite excited and it didn’t take him long to finish.

“Hey!” she said, smacking him on the arm. “Look!” She pointed off into the distance.

“Is that…?” he said as he pulled away from her.

“A unicorn!”

He tried to run towards it, but tripped over his breeches and hose around his knees, and fell to the ground. He scrambled to get back up and dress himself, but by the time he did, the unicorn had run off. “Shit,” he muttered.”

“I told you we shouldn’t have done that.”

“It was worth it,” he said, leaning on a rock to catch his breath. “I didn’t really want to kill a unicorn, anyway.”

“Then what do you propose we do?” she asked, adjusting her gown.

“I have no idea.”

She sighed impatiently. “Let’s just go back, then. Tell him we couldn’t find any,” she said. “My spell’s worn off, so there’s no point sticking around here.”

“Has it?” he said, still feeling an intense attraction towards her.

“Come on.”

He followed her back towards the horses — or at least, they thought they were headed towards the horses. They’d gotten turned around and started heading south, not west. (With all the trees, it was hard to see the direction of the sun.)

“Hold on a minute,” said Finn when he spotted something laying on the ground up ahead. “What is that?”

“I’m not sure,” Rae replied. “Think we should get a closer look?”

He nodded and they slowly crept towards the mysterious lump in the distance. As they got closer, it became clear — it was a bear. A dead bear. It appeared to have been gored right through the belly.

“Wonder what could have done that…” he said.

“Uh, Finn,” she said, continuing forward. “I think I might know…”

Several yards away from the bear was another immobile figure — a dead unicorn.

“Must’ve had some sort of altercation,” he said as he inspected the remains. “Bear attacks unicorn, unicorn attacks back, but they both manage to deal deadly blows.”

“Looks like it couldn’t have been that long ago,” she added. “Maybe a few hours.”

“The horn is still in pretty good condition. Do you think the apothecary could use it, even with the bear’s blood all over it?”

“He’ll sterilize it anyway. I think we should take it.”

“How do we…?” he asked slowly, gesturing towards the unicorn. “Does it just snap off?”

“It’s attached right to the skull,” she said, like he should have known. “I’ll have to slice it off.”

“With what?” He knew his blade wouldn’t cut it, so to speak.

She wiggled her fingers in the air before holding her hands over the base of the horn. A thin stream of fire shot out of her palm, and she used it to slice right through the horn.

“Here.” She tossed the horn over to him. “We should get out of here, before another one of them shows up,” she added, nodding towards the bear.

“I could take it,” he said boastfully, swinging the unicorn’s horn around like a sword.

“Let’s go, please.”

“Yes, whatever you say,” he said. “You know I can’t resist you.”

***

“It’s a bit small,” said the apothecary as he examined the unicorn’s horn.

“It’s the best you’re going to get today,” said Finn, standing with his arms folded across his chest.

“Fine,” said the older man. “I suppose you’ll want a reward of some kind.” He disappeared through a door at the back and returned with a small vial of brownish liquid, which he handed to Finn.

“What’s this?” Finn asked skeptically, turning the vial over in his hand.

“It’s a restorative health potion. It’s good for people in your line of work,” the man explained. “It can heal you during battle.”

Finn looked at Rae for a moment before responding. “I usually prefer my payment in coin.”

“That potion is very valuable.”

“It’s probably not a bad idea for you to carry something like that,” Rae said to him. She leaned closer and added in a whisper, “I can put a spell on it that will make it refill every morning so you can get endless uses out of it.”

That didn’t sound like such a bad deal, when she put it that way.

“All right,” he said to the apothecary as he stashed the vial.

“Good. Now, for you, young lady,” the man said, turning his attention to Rae. “You said you were looking to be my apprentice.”

“That’s correct,” she said with a nod.

“Do you have any experience worth noting?”

“A little. If you speak with Archibald at the university, he can tell you that I did a bit of healing back in Leaverton.”

“Did you use science or magic?” he asked.

“Excuse me?”

“In your healing, did you use science or magic?”

“Um, a little of both, I suppose,” she answered.

He tutted for a moment. “I strictly refuse to use magic in my practice,” he said.

“Why?” said Finn. Rae nudged him to keep him quiet.

“Healing with magic is like building a house with hollow stones — it may look the same on the outside, but there’s no integrity to it. It’s not sound.”

“I understand,” Rae said, nodding. “In Leaverton, I didn’t have access to all the best medicinal supplies, like you have here, so I had to supplement with magic. But I’ve no attachment to those ways. I will gladly learn your methods.”

“Very well,” said the apothecary. “You can start tomorrow.”

Rae thanked him before leaving with Finn. Once they were outside, Finn asked, “Do you actually believe in what he said?”

“About magic? Of course not,” she said. “Magical healing is just as real as medicinal, and I find a combination of the two to have the best effects. But I need work. Besides, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him…”


	4. Chapter 4

“That man is ridiculous,” said Rae as she sat across from Finn in the local tavern nearest the university. “He doesn’t believe in using any magic during the whole process of making his remedies. Not even to speed up the fermentation process. Nothing.”

“I’m guessing that didn’t stop you,” said Finn, smiling at her over his mug.

“Of course not,” she said. “Though I had to sit around for a while to pretend that it took me that long so he wouldn’t suspect anything. Thankfully he has some interesting books to read.”

“Interesting? Books?” he said skeptically.

“I’m learning a lot about the scientific side of medicine,” she explained. “The more I understand that, the better I’ll be able to use my magic. Magic and science aren’t so different. Some even say that magic is just science that can’t be explained.”

“So once it is explained, is it no longer magic?”

“Maybe…” Rae took a sip of her drink pensively. “I wonder, if someone were to scientifically explain all magic, would it remove the stigma?”

“I think it might just stigmatize science,” said Finn with a laugh. “To the average person, science and magic are both arcane.”

“You’re probably right,” she said. She looked past his shoulder and added, “You’ve got an admirer.”

“What?” He turned to look behind him and saw a very young woman looking at him.

“The way she’s ogling you…” Rae said. “How does she know we’re not together?”

“Aren’t we?” Finn asked in jest, though he was mildly curious about the actual status of their relationship. Co-conspirators/occasional lovers?

“Incoming,” Rae added, lifting her mug to her lips and looking away.

He turned again, but this time the young woman was right beside him.

“Can I ask what the sword’s for?” she asked him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Needlepoint,” he replied dryly.

She laughed and took a seat on the bench next to him. “I’m guessing you’re an abolisher,” she said.

Finn noticed Rae roll her eyes on the other side of the table. “Good guess,” he said.

“I bet you’re good at it,” said the young woman. “You look quick.”

“Hopefully not too quick,” he said.

Rae coughed, like she was stifling a laugh. He tried not to smile.

“I’m just going to get another drink,” Rae said as she stood up. “Want anything?”

“I’m good, thanks,” he said.

“So, what’s your name?” asked the young woman, stroking his arm once Rae was gone.

“Finn.”

“Finn. That’s a good name,” she said.

“And what’s yours?”

She smiled. “You don’t really care about that, do you?”

“…Not particularly.”

***

Finn was already up by the time there was a knock on his door the next morning. In fact, he was very much up. The young woman on top of him didn’t seem to mind. He ignored the door, as he had a more pressing matter at hand.

The knocking continued, though, and he knew it had to be Rae. He had asked her to make sure he was awake by mid-morning so he could start his journey home. However, this was before he knew that he was having company for the night.

“Hurry up,” he muttered.

“I’m trying,” said the young woman. “But it would help if you pinched me.”

“What?” he said, as though it were the strangest request he’d ever gotten. (It wasn’t.)

She lifted his hands and placed them on her chest, urging him to pinch her, so he did.

“Harder,” she said, shutting her eyes.

He obliged, and she started to cry out — in pain or pleasure, he wasn’t sure. In either case, it was arousing, and he could tell that he wasn’t going to be able to hold out much longer.

There was another knock at the door, so he pinched even harder to try and speed things up, which seemed to work.

He eased her aside once they’d finished and wrapped himself in the sheet so he could answer the door.

“Am I interrupting?” Rae said impatiently when the door opened a little.

“Sorry, I forgot you were coming this morning,” said Finn, keeping the door partially closed so his guest could get dressed in privacy.

“I didn’t realize you would be, too,” Rae replied, and he looked down sheepishly.

The young woman soon emerged from behind the door, partially clothed in just her chemise and untied kirtle, carrying her gown, and said goodbye to Finn before leaving. She nodded politely at Rae on her way out.

“So this is how you’re spending that reward you got for turning me in?” Rae asked him once the other woman was gone.

“She’s not a whore, she’s a student,” he said, letting Rae into the room. “She’s studying bestiaries, and has a particular fondness for abolishers.”

“Are you sure about that? Check your coin purse,” she said as he started to get dressed as well.

“Very funny.” He picked up his linen shirt off the floor and put it on.

“How long are you going to be gone for?” she asked.

“It takes about five days to get there, if I don’t pick up any jobs along the way,” he said. “And another five to get back. And I should probably stay for a few days while I’m there. So probably two weeks.”

“Why do you have to go all the way back to Granesrow, anyway? What can you get there that you can’t get here?”

“I just have some personal business to attend to.”

“It’s too bad I have to work, or I’d have come with you,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to see the west coast.”

“It’s best you don’t, anyway.”

“What, are you afraid I’ll get in your way?”

“No, it’s just… personal.”

“Family trouble?”

“I haven’t got a family,” he said.

“Oh.”

“I should really get going…”

“All right. I’ll see you when you return,” she said. “If I still have any interest by then.”

***

As it turned out, Finn did not do any jobs on the way out to Granesrow, and he only stopped when absolutely necessary, so he made it there in four-and-a-half days instead of five. The sooner he arrived, he figured, the sooner he could get his business over with and leave.

“Finn!” said Stacey when she answered the door. “I wasn’t expecting you this soon.”

“Is this a bad time?” he asked, looking around hesitantly.

“Of course not! The O’Neills are out for a little while, so you can come in,” she added, taking a step back to give him room to enter.

The O’Neills were the family housing Stacey until she married Finn, though they did not care much for him. They thought that abolisher was not a respectable profession, that it was childish. They would rather that she marry their son, but she seemed to have her heart set on Finn.

“I’ve missed you,” she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I missed you, too,” he said in a manner that he was certain could not be convincing, and yet she kissed him anyway.

“Come, have a seat and relax,” she told him, gently nudging him towards a chair. She helped him take off his sword and armour before he sat down, as he wouldn’t be needing them for the time being. “You’ve been travelling a long time, haven’t you?” she said as she placed a hand on his leg underneath the table.

“Yeah.”

She slid her hand further up his thigh. “I bet you’ve been pretty lonely, too.”

He cast her a sidelong glance. Although she was saving herself until marriage, she’d always been willing to please him in other ways. Nevertheless, he picked up her hand and moved it away.

“I’m tired from the journey,” he said. “I just came to see how you were doing.”

She leaned forward on the table with her elbows. “Bored,” she said. “There’s nothing to do around here.”

“This is Affenland; there’s nothing to do anywhere.”

“You’re always getting up to adventures, though.”

“You don’t want to do the things that I do, Anastasia.”

“What if I did, though?” she replied. “Wouldn’t it be fun if I came with you?”

“Came with me?”

“Not when you’re fighting beasts, or anything. Just travel around the kingdom with you. I haven’t left Granesrow since I got here.”

“You know it’s not safe for you out there,” he said. “Folks tend not to get into other people’s business here in Granesrow, but if anyone elsewhere discovered you were from Tertia, you’d be—”

“I know, I know. You sound like my father.”

“He and I both just want what’s best for you.”

“A life of boredom and loneliness is what’s best for me?” she said.

“Better than being hanged, yes.”

“You’re so dramatic.”

“If something were to happen to you,” he said, “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.” He also wouldn’t get paid.

***

Finn was not already up when there came a knock on his front door the next morning. It took him a couple of minutes to come to, and another couple to put on enough clothing to be halfway decent when he answered the door.

“Are you Finn of Granesrow?” asked the young man on the other side of the door.

“Who’s asking?” said Finn.

“Someone’s been looking for you.”

“I think you’ve got the wrong fella,” he said as he started to shut the door.

The other man stuck his foot in the doorway to stop it. “You can either come with me peacefully, or I can get a pair of armed guards to escort you. Your choice.”

“In that case, give me a minute to finish getting dressed,” said Finn, opening the door further to let the man in.

As soon as the door was closed again, Finn turned on him and punched him right in the face. The man fell back against the table, staggered for a moment. He spat out some blood and pushed himself up, blocking Finn’s next punch with his arm. He managed to give Finn a blow to the chest, which knocked the wind out of him for a second. He was stronger than he looked, but then again, so was Finn.

Finn dodged a couple more attacks, waiting for the right moment to strike again. He kneed the other man in the stomach, sending him backwards once again, then punched him in the face two more times.

“All right, all right,” he said, wiping blood off his mouth with the back of his hand. “What if I never found you today, huh? I leave and say that you weren’t here this morning.”

“Promise?” said Finn.

“I’ll swear to whichever god you prefer.”

He walked over to the door silently and held onto the handle before facing the man again. “Go on, then.”

“Thank you.”

The younger man hurried towards the door, but as soon as he got within arm’s reach, Finn grabbed the back of his head and smashed it into the wall. He fell to the ground, unconscious. There was no way Finn was going to trust him not to tell on his whereabouts.

Finn hurried to get dressed and gather his necessary belongings so that he could leave Granesrow immediately. Or, at the very least, leave his house immediately. For he had to make a stop on his way out of town.

“I need to see Anastasia,” he said to the O’Neill girl when she answered the door. She was the only one of the O’Neills who didn’t despise him.

“Why do you need to see her?” she asked coyly, leaning against the doorframe.

“I have to say goodbye before I leave.”

“You’re going already? But you just got here,” she said. “We haven’t even had a chance to catch up yet.” She traced a finger down his covered torso as she spoke to him.

“There’s no time,” he said, pushing her hand away. “Can you just tell Anastasia—”

“Tell me what?” said Stacey, appearing behind the other girl, who stepped aside so the they could talk.

“I have to go,” he told her seriously.

“Go where?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“On a job?” she asked.

He shook his head. “There are people looking for me. Bad people. I have to leave before they find me,” he explained. “I can’t come back here until the threat is gone.”

“What? When will that be?”

“I’m not sure. A while.”

“What about our wedding?”

“We’ll have to postpone it,” he said.

“Let me come with you,” she pleaded. “We can get married wherever you end up. At least we’ll be together.”

“I can’t put you at risk like that. And you have to pretend that you don’t know anything about me.”

“Sometimes it feels like I don’t…”

“Anastasia, please,” he said. “Promise me you won’t tell anyone that I was here.”

She nodded solemnly.

“I’ll be back as soon as it’s safe, all right?”

“Wait,” she said as he turned to leave. She grabbed his arm and pulled him in for a kiss. “To your safe return…”

***

Finn had to avoid the main paths on his way back to the capital, which meant heading through areas of Affenland he’d never been to before, and stopping at abandoned shacks to rest. He ran into a few pests on the way, some of which he had to fight in order to get through; others he just rode past quickly. He wasn’t getting paid, so it wasn’t worth his time. (Except on the rare occasion that the pests were guarding some old chest of loot.)

He found an old temple in disrepair on his third evening of travelling, and thought it was as good a place as any to have a rest for the night. There was no bed to speak of, but the benches meant he wouldn’t have to sleep on the cold ground, for once.

Before he could get himself settled for the night, he heard a noise, like the wind screaming. He recognized that sound. Shadows.

He’d encountered shadows before, at an old cemetery outside Leaverton. Some people would say they were spirits of the dead, but Finn thought them to be creatures that fed off decay, making cemeteries a great place to feast. While he did not believe their purpose was to haunt the living, like some folks did, he knew they did not appreciate others encroaching on their space.

He cast a torch spell again so he could see what he was dealing with. Shadows were difficult to detect even in the best lighting conditions. They just looked like shadows, as the name would suggest, though instead of falling upon the ground or on surfaces, they were shadows that appeared in mid-air.

As the area surrounding him lit up, Finn could see several shadows swirling around him. He knew he had to get out of there. He also knew his sword would be useless to him currently. Shadows could disappear from one spot and reappear in another instantaneously, making them nearly impossible to pinpoint. Having dealt with shadows before, however, he knew what to do. He’d have to move quickly though.

He extinguished his torch spell and immediately cast a lightning burst, radiating outward in a giant circle. As the shadows were struck, they became immobilized, at least temporarily. He took out his sword and started slashing at the paralyzed shadows, rendering them to nothing but smoke, until they were all down.

He sat down on a bench to catch his breath for a moment before alighting his torch spell once more to take a look around. He knew that people often left offerings to the spirits in places like this, as a way of trying to appease them and make them leave. Of course, as they were not spirits, shadows had no use for coin and jewels — but Finn did. He located several trays of offerings near the front of the temple and took his reward.

So much for a night’s rest, though.

***

When Finn returned to the capital, he immediately went to Rae’s old room at the university, hoping to find her there, but she wasn’t. There was someone else in that room now. He started to worry that the Halish guards had gotten to her, too.

He had to shake his head of such thoughts. There was no way she’d get caught. She’d probably just found her own place to live.

 _If she wants you to find her, she’ll find you_ , he remembered.

He figured going to the tavern would be a good start, since she always seemed to find him there before. She wasn’t anywhere to be seen when he arrived, however, and the worry started to creep back in.

He ordered a couple of drinks and sat in the corner so he could watch everyone that came and went. It was a good hour before he spotted her.

He wanted to jump up and call out her name as soon as she walked in, but he kept his cool and pretended not to notice her. It didn’t take long for her to find him, either.

“You’re back early,” she said as she sat down across from him. “I wasn’t expecting you for a few more days.” She picked up one of his drinks and took a sip.

“You were counting?” he asked, trying to suppress a grin.

She almost looked embarrassed for a moment. “What brings you back so soon? You couldn’t have been in Granesrow for much more than a day.”

“I wasn’t,” he said. “I spent one night, and a Halish spy found me in my home.”

“What happened?”

“I incapacitated him and got out of there as quickly as I could. I don’t think anyone followed me.”

“Why did you even go back there? Of course they would come looking for you at your home!”

“I had to go back to see someone,” he said, lowering his voice.

“Who? Your wife?” she asked jestingly as she took another drink.

“Close. My betrothed.”

She set the mug down on the table forcefully. “What? Are you serious?”

“We were supposed to be wed this week,” he added. “That’s why I went back.”

“Why… wouldn’t you tell me any of this?”

“I didn’t think it mattered.”

“You didn’t think it mattered?”

“It doesn’t change anything.”

“Right. Sure.” She did not sound convinced.

“I mean it. I’d still be doing everything I do now,” he said. “And you and I would still be… whatever we are.”

“Which is?”

“Friend…ly?”

“Look,” she said, “I don’t have a problem with you spending the night with other women, but if you’re in love with someone else—”

“I’m not, though!”

“You’re not?”

“I was only going to marry her because her father’s got a lot of coin and he’s willing to give me some to help keep her safe,” he explained.

“So, you don’t love her?”

“I’m invested in her well-being,” he said. “But I don’t love her in the slightest.”

She appeared to ponder this for a minute. “Does she love you?”

“No,” he lied. “She just needed the protection.”

“And the wedding’s off, then?”

“Yes.”

“Fine,” she said. “You can buy me another drink.”

***

Finn’s head was up the skirt of Rae’s gown when there came a knock at his door.

“Ignore it,” Rae said when he lifted his head to look at her.

There was another knock, and someone called out, “Finn!” from the other side of the door.

“Sounds like Archibald,” said Finn. “It could be important.”

“If it’s not, tell him I’ll kill him later,” said Rae.

Finn answered the door to find Archibald looking panic-stricken.

“They’re here!” he said frantically.

“Who’s here?” asked Finn.

“The Halesborough guard,” said Archibald. “They found out that you’re staying here and they’ve come looking for you. You’ve got to hide.”

“Should we just stay in here?” Rae asked, having overheard the conversation.

“They’re checking rooms,” he said. “We have to get you out of here!”

Finn quickly grabbed his sword and leather cuirass from the corner of the room, but he didn’t have time to put them on before the three of them were on their way.

He and Rae followed Archibald down corridors and stairwells until they heard a loud, booming voice around the corner say, “We’re looking for the abolisher, Finn, and the sorceress, Rae. You will tell us what you know of their whereabouts.”

“Shit!” Archibald whispered. “This way!”

He turned a different corner and hurried Finn and Rae down another corridor. He suddenly stopped in front of a door, and next thing they knew, he was opening the door and shoving them through it into what appeared to be a broom cupboard.

“Stay here,” he said, “and don’t leave until I come get you. Got it?”

“Got—”

Archibald shut the door before Finn could answer his question, and he and Rae were consumed in darkness, squished up against one another.

“So…” Finn said quietly. “This is… cozy.”

“Yeah,” said Rae. “Is that the hilt of your sword poking my leg, or are you just excited right now?”

“Both,” he replied, and they laughed a little.

“I have to admit, I kind of enjoy getting chased like this,” she said.

“You’re a strange one.”

“You can’t tell me it’s not a little bit exhilarating, knowing that we could get found in here any minute?”

“Not exactly. If that door opens, they could plunge a sword through my back before I could even turn around and face them, let alone get mine out.”

“They’d have to wait for you to turn around so they could identify you before they kill you,” she said. “Don’t worry.”

“Gee, thanks. I feel so much better.”

“I didn’t think you were the type to get scared.”

“I’m not scared, I’m just not having fun hiding in a cupboard,” he said.

“We could have more fun, if you like.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“Hmm.” He could hear the smile in her voice and felt her lift up her skirt.

***

“It’s been an awfully long time,” Rae said after what felt like hours in the broom cupboard with Finn.

“Yeah,” he replied. There was only so much entertainment they could get from up Rae’s skirt, and Finn was getting bored and tired, and his back was sore from standing slightly hunched.

“Do you think Archie forgot about us?” she asked.

“Of course not,” he said. “But something could have happened to him. We should probably check.”

“He told us not to leave until he came to get us.”

“What if he’s in trouble, though? We can’t just leave him.”

“No, you’re right,” she said. “Let’s go.”

Finn was unable to turn around inside the cupboard so he had to open the door and stumble out backwards. Rae followed him shortly, acting as a lookout while he equipped himself with his light armour and sword.

“This way,” she said, leading him down the corridor.

They stopped at every open doorway before they passed to make sure there weren’t any guards inside. As they turned a corner, Finn heard a voice he recognized coming from a room up ahead.

“I’m telling you, I don’t know where they are!” said the voice.

“They’ve got Archie!” Rae whispered to Finn.

“What do they want with him?” he said.

“Someone probably tipped them off that he knows us. Come on!”

They continued forward, though he wasn’t certain what her plan was. Were they just going to barge into the room? But, they couldn’t—

Yes, apparently that was the plan.

He followed her inside where she shouted at the guards to get their attention.

“Leave him alone. It’s me you want,” she said.

The two guards turned to face her and pulled out their swords right before Finn pulled out his.

“Halt!” she added, putting up her hand. They stopped in their tracks. “Yes, Finn and I are the ones you are looking for,” she continued. “But you could not find us. We’re not even here. We’ve already fled to Mollenfort.”

“Rae, what are you—” Finn began, but she shushed him.

“Right,” one of the guards said slowly, with a dazed look in his eye.

“Yes,” said the other, equally dazed. “We must go to Mollenfort.”

They sheathed their swords and walked right past Finn and Rae without looking at them.

“What the hell just happened?” said Finn in disbelief, putting his own sword away.

“Just a little persuasion spell,” Rae explained. “Should keep them out of our hair for a while. Archie, are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” said Archibald. “I just—”

Suddenly they heard screaming coming from outside.

***

Finn, Rae, and Archibald rushed outside to find the source of the screaming. They were immediately struck with the image of several bodies on fire, and others running for cover.

“What the—” Finn began, before he discovered the source of their fear.

A giant shadow appeared on the ground in front of him, and when he looked up, he saw it. A dragon.

“Get back inside!” he shouted at Rae and Archibald, herding them back into the building.

“Was that what I think it was?” said Rae once they were all inside again.

“It’s impossible,” Archibald said in disbelief. “Dragons have been extinct for hundreds of years.”

“That may be so,” said Finn. “But that was definitely a dragon.”

“Have you ever dealt with one, Finn?” Rae asked him.

“Hah, of course not! Like Archibald said, they’re extinct.”

“Apparently not,” she said. “So what do we do?”

“What do you mean, what do we do?” he said. “We hide until it leaves!”

“You’re not even going to try to fight it?”

“Sure, just tell it to stop flying and breathing fire for twenty minutes and I’ll be right back.”

“You’ve fought flying creatures before,” she said.

“Nothing as strong as a dragon. Especially a dragon that survived extinction.”

“Maybe I could help. I know some powerful spells.”

“I don’t think the two of us can take a dragon by ourselves,” said Finn. “Besides,” he added, taking a step closer to the door. “The screaming has stopped, so either everyone is dead, or the dragon is gone.”

“Yeah, but for how long?” said Rae. “There’s got to be something we can do to keep it from coming back.” She looked at Archibald expectantly. “Got any ideas, Archie?”

“Not at the moment,” he said hesitantly. “But if you give me time to do some research, I might be able to come up with something.”

She looked over at Finn to assess his response.

“Fine,” he said. “If Arch can figure out how to find and defeat a dragon, I’ll do it.”


	5. Chapter 5

“What did he say?” Finn asked when Archibald returned from his meeting with the King.

Archibald took a seat at the desk in his research chamber and folded his hands. “Basically, he asked me if I could locate the dragon and find a way to destroy it,” he said. “Or, rather, commanded that I do.”

“Do you think you can?” said Rae, leaning forward in her seat.

“Well,” he replied, opening the large book on his desk, “I did a bit of research after the attack. It seems there are legends of a dragon’s lair a couple days north of the capital. But the King says he can’t afford to send his army to fight it, since they’re needed to defend the cities should it choose to attack again.”

“So, where does that leave us?” said Finn.

“Well, I don’t know if you’re going to like this, but…” Archibald began.

“But, what?”

“I told the King that I knew of an excellent abolisher and a powerful sorceress who might be willing to help in exchange for official pardons for their crimes in Halesborough.”

“And did he go for it?” asked Rae.

“He said he would greatly reward anyone who helped defeat this monster,” he said.

“One problem,” said Finn. “We don’t know shit about how to find or destroy a dragon.”

“You leave finding the dragon up to me,” said Archibald, tapping the book in front of him. “As for destroying it without the help of an army, we might have to improvise. We lack archers, for instance.”

“Archery not one of your many talents, Finn?” Rae said sarcastically.

“Unfortunately not,” Finn replied. “But I do know someone who’s quite the archer. He’s in Halesborough, though.”

“Hmm, I have some friends in Halesborough who might be able to help, as well,” she said. “Maybe it’s worth paying them a visit.”

“One problem,” said Archibald. “Aren’t the Halesborough guard on the lookout for you right now? How can you go back there?”

“You forget that I sent them looking in Mollenfort. Besides, I’m sure we can handle ourselves.”

“You two go get your friends, then, and I’ll make a plan of action,” he said. “We’ll reconvene in a couple of days.”

“How are we supposed to get to Halesborough and back in a couple of days?” Finn asked.

Archibald and Rae exchanged glances like they were trying not to laugh at his naiveté.

“I think we’ll manage,” she said.

***

“Wow,” said Finn after Rae had transported both of them to a back alley in Halesborough. “I did not enjoy that.”

“You get used to it,” she said, pulling her hood up over her head.

“Not sure that I will,” he replied, pulling up his as well.

“We need to get in and out as quickly as possible,” she added as she started walking.

Finn followed Rae down the busy streets of Halesborough, trying not to catch the attention of any guards, until they made it to a small house that he recognized as belonging to Isabelle.

“What good is a healer going to do us?” he asked Rae.

“She’s a genius at making potions,” she explained. “She can improve your strength, your speed, your stamina—”

“I don’t think I need any help with that.”

“Don’t be so sure.”

He folded his arms. “What about fighting the dragon? Anything to help with that, specifically?”

“I’m sure she has something we can use to weaken it, too,” she said before knocking on the door. “She can make anything.”

Isabelle answered and appeared momentarily startled by two cloaked figures at her doorstep until Rae lowered her hood. “Rae!” she whispered as she grabbed her friend’s arm. “Get in! Now! Both of you.”

Finn followed them inside and shut the door behind him.

“What are you two doing here?” asked Isabelle. “Don’t you know it’s not safe for you here?”

“I know,” said Rae. “But we need your help.”

“My help? What could I possibly do?”

“We’ve got a dragon problem up in the capital,” said Finn.

“A dragon?” Isabelle’s eyes were wide.

“We’re going to find and destroy it, but we’ll need potions to get that done,” said Rae.

“I’ll help you in whatever way that I can,” said Isabelle. “Though I’m not sure I know of any potions for destroying something like a dragon. They’re too powerful for average potions.”

“I’m sure Archibald can research that for you,” Finn suggested.

“That’s true,” said Rae. “If you go to the university and find him, you can ask him for help,” she added to Isabelle. “Have you been to the capital before?”

Isabelle nodded. “But should I not just go back with the two of you?”

“We’ve got more people to recruit,” said Finn. “We’ll meet you there.”

***

“Why are you taking me here?” Rae asked when Finn brought her to the Stork and Sturgeon. “We don’t really have time to get soused.”

“My friend, he likes to get drunk here most nights,” he said.

“That inspires confidence.”

“Even drunk, he could shoot an apple off your head at a hundred paces.”

“Would he get my head with it?”

“Laugh all you want, but we need all the help we can get,” he said.

“I know, you’re right,” she said. “Sorry.”

They entered the tavern and headed straight for the bar where they found a man with a sword, a bow, and a quiver of arrows on his back. Finn put his hand on the man’s shoulder, and he nearly jumped.

“Relax, Chop, it’s me,” said Finn.

Chop exhaled in relief. “Don’t sneak up on a man with a sword,” he said.

“Yeah, I was really scared for my life for a minute there,” Finn said sarcastically.

“What are you doing here, anyway?” asked Chop. “I thought you were in Granesrow getting married this week — I wasn’t invited to the wedding, by the way.”

“You didn’t hear? I’m a wanted man.”

“You flatter yourself.”

“I mean wanted by the guard, for helping her escape.” Finn gestured to Rae as he spoke. “The wedding’s called off for a while, but I’ll make sure you get invited when it’s back on.”

Chop looked a little disappointed, like he wanted to act all hurt for not being invited, but didn’t actually want to go. “Wait, if you’re wanted by the guard, then why are you even here?”

“We’re here to get your help,” said Finn.

“I hear you’re the best archer in Affenland,” Rae added, which made Chop grin.

“Really? I’m glad my reputation precedes me.”

“Yeah, well, we’ve got a little problem that needs an archer,” said Finn. “A dragon attacked the capital.”

Chop stared at him in disbelief for a moment before breaking out in laughter. “Oh, you had me for a moment.”

“It’s true.”

“Bullshit.”

“We saw it with our own eyes,” said Rae seriously. “We saw it burn citizens in the street. We heard the screams.”

“You’re… not jesting,” said Chop. “In that case, have you lost your fucking minds? Going after a dragon?”

“The King’s rewarding everyone who helps,” said Finn, knowing that would get Chop’s attention.

A smile spread across Chop’s face. “Well, why didn’t you say so earlier? ‘Course I’ll help. Just tell me what to do.”

“Meet us behind the tavern in the morning,” Rae said to him. “I’ll transport us all to the capital then, so you have time to sober up a bit.”

“Cheers,” he replied, raising his mug.

***

Rae offered to transport the two of them back to the capital for the evening, and then return to Halesborough in the morning to gather the rest of their friends, but Finn refused. He didn’t want to do that any more times than was absolutely necessary. Which meant they needed to find a place to stay for the night.

Rae’s house was surrounded by guards, so they couldn’t even get close to it, and Finn didn’t dare stay at the same inn he’d stayed at before for fear that the innkeeper would recognize him. So they found a shadier establishment and ventured inside. Everyone there seemed like a criminal anyway, so they were probably safe, relatively speaking.

“Seems like ages since we’ve shared a room, hasn’t it?” said Finn as he took off his gear.

“Don’t get any ideas,” said Rae. “We’re just saving a bit of coin.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked.

“So, you’re still getting married, huh?”

He frowned. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“It’s just, before you made it seem like your wedding was called off for good, but tonight you told your friend that he’d be invited once it was back on,” she said.

“And?”

“And I thought you had decided not to marry her.”

“Not while I’m being hunted down, no,” he said. “But once the King pardons me, I’ll have nothing standing in the way anymore.”

“Not even your conscience?”

He looked at her like he had no idea what she was talking about.

“How can you marry someone you don’t even care about?” she added.

“Just because I don’t love her doesn’t mean I don’t care about her,” he said.

“Yeah, you’re being paid to.” She rolled her eyes.

“So?”

“So? Doesn’t that bother you? Don’t you see how twisted that is?”

“I see it as a mutually beneficial arrangement,” he said. “I get coin, and she gets me.”

“I thought you said she was only doing it for the protection,” she said.

He winced a little, like he’d been caught in a lie. “Yeah, well, she doesn’t exactly know that’s why I’m marrying her. She thinks we’re in love.”

Rae stared at Finn blankly for a moment. “She thinks you’re in love,” she repeated. “That… That is… horrible!”

“What?”

“You’re lying to this poor girl just to make some quick coin,” she said.

“What does it matter?” he said. “I’m happy, she’s happy. It’s all good.”

“Is she really?”

“As far as I know,” he said, taking a few steps closer. “Don’t worry about her.”

She pushed him away. “It was different when I thought that the wedding was off, and that you’d both just been using each other,” she said. “But now it’s like I don’t even know who you are.”

“I’m exactly the same as I’ve always been.”

“Then I must have gotten you wrong.”

“I never claimed to be a knight, all right?” he said, growing angry. “I don’t live by some sort of chivalric code. I do what I have to do.”

“You do what you want to do,” she said.

“So do you.”

“Yeah, well, what I want doesn’t hurt people.”

“Who am I hurting?” he replied. “Anastasia wants to be with me, so I’m giving her what she wants.”

“What she wants is for you to love her,” she said.

“You never know, I might some day.”

“I don’t think you’re capable.”

“Why are we even talking about this?” he said. “We currently have more important things to worry about. We could die fighting a dragon in a couple of days, and wouldn’t we regret arguing right now when we could be doing something else…”

Rae did not look amused. “Fuck the cost,” she said as she headed for the door. “I’m getting my own room.”

***

It was fairly early when Rae came to get Finn from his room the next morning, so it took him a few minutes to get ready to leave. He wished that he, too, had the ability to snap his fingers and get fully dressed and outfitted with his armour and weaponry.

“Who are we looking for now?” he asked Rae as they left the inn, pulling their hoods up over their heads.

“You remember my friend Chloe, right?” she said.

“The elf?” he asked.

“Elven princess,” she corrected him.

“My mistake,” he said. “What’s an elven princess doing in Halesborough, though?”

“She lives here in the summer. Likes to spend time with her pets,” she explained. “She’s not allowed to keep such pets at home.”

“So how is she supposed to help us with a dragon?”

“She knows a lot about magical creatures, too,” she said. “Maybe more than Archie, because she’s had longer to study them. Plus, she has powerful elven magic that could surely prove useful.”

“Doesn’t it seem like a bit of a dangerous expedition for a princess?” he asked.

“She owns garars, remember? She can handle herself.”

Finn followed Rae up towards a part of Halesborough that he had never really visited before. The houses were larger and more ornately decorated, and the people were dressed in clothes that he would only ever wear on a formal occasion.

They arrived at an iron gate with a pair of armed guards in front of it. Finn worried for a moment that they were Halesborough guards, until he realized they weren’t wearing the right colours. They must have been Chloe’s personal guards, he figured.

“Halt!” said one of the guards as Finn and Rae approached. “The princess is not expecting visitors today.”

“We’re friends of hers,” said Rae.

The guard looked them up and down and laughed. “Sure, and I’m the Queen of Mollenfort.”

“Pleased to meet you, Your Grace,” she said with a mocking curtsy.

“Oi,” said the other guard. “Pay a little more respect to a man with a weapon.”

Finn cleared his throat to get their attention. “You’re not the only ones with weapons,” he said.

“Is that a threat?”

“No!” Rae cut in. “No, it’s just, it’s very important that we see the princess right away.” She waved her hand at the guards and they appeared momentarily dazed.

“Yes, of course,” said the first guard, stepping aside to open the gate.

“You’ve got to teach me how you do that,” said Finn once they were out of earshot of the guards.

“Yeah, right.”

There was another guard standing in front of the door of the house, but Rae didn’t even bother arguing with him. She just waved her hand again and he let them through.

An older gentleman greeted them when they got inside. “Good morning,” he said politely, “but I’m afraid the princess is not expecting guests today.”

Rae pulled down her hood and replied, “I know she’s not expecting me, but I hope she’ll see me anyway. It’s important.”

“Oh, Rae!” said the man. “Of course. I did not realize it was you. Come, this way.”

He led the pair of them up a regal staircase and down a corridor to a door on which he knocked.

“What is it?” they heard Chloe respond from inside the room.

“You have visitors,” said the man.

“I don’t want any visitors today.”

“It’s Rae and her companion,” he said. “She says it’s important.”

The door opened moments later.

“Rae!” said Chloe, throwing her arms around her friend for a hug. “I didn’t expect to see you here!” Her joyful expression changed when she noticed Finn standing off to the side. “Oh, hello,” she said much less enthusiastically.

“You remember Finn, yes?” said Rae. “He got you the garar venom for the antidote.”

“Ah, yes,” said Chloe. “I hope you didn’t kill too many of them to get it. They’re such beautiful creatures.”

Finn grimaced. Beautiful was not a word he would use to describe them.

“Come in, come in,” she said to them, ushering them into the room. She told her steward to give them some privacy before asking Rae why she’d come.

“I was hoping to get your help with something,” said Rae. “You see, a dragon attacked the capital a couple of days ago and—”

“A dragon?” Chloe looked positively delighted. “Do you know where it is?”

“We have an approximate idea of its location,” Rae told her. “But we’ve been tasked with finding and destroying it, and we need your help. Without your knowledge and magic, we don’t stand a chance.”

“I don’t know about that, but—” Finn began, but Rae nudged him to shut him up.

“Ah,” said Chloe. “It seems a shame to destroy such a magnificent creature, but I understand what a danger they are.”

“Were you alive before the dragons went extinct?” he asked.

She looked a bit offended. “No, but my grandmother told me about them. I know what sort have havoc and destruction they wrought.”

“So, you’ll help us, then?” asked Rae.

Chloe nodded. “I’ll do whatever I can.”

“Meet us in the capital, at the library in the university, by sundown.”

***

“Whoo!” said Chop when Rae transported him and Finn to the capital with her. “That was amazing!”

Finn shuddered. “Nope, I still don’t like it.”

“Quit your bellyaching and let’s go find Archie and the others,” said Rae.

By the time they got to Archibald’s research chamber, Isabelle and Chloe were already there, talking with him. It seemed like they were discussing possible methods for defeating a dragon — or they could have been swapping soup recipes, Finn wasn’t sure.

“Good, you guys finally made it,” said Archibald when he noticed their arrival.

“Yeah, sorry,” said Finn. “We had to wait for this piece of—”

“Be nice now,” said Chop, when he realized Finn was referring to him. “I am doing you a favour, after all.”

“We’ve been working on the strategy anyway,” said Archibald.

“Let’s hear it, then,” said Rae.

“All right, so,” he began, “we’ve established that the dragon’s lair is probably in a large cavern in the side of a mountain to the north of us. Our best chance of defeating it is to fight it in there, rather than let it fly about in the open air.”

“Sounds reasonable,” said Chop.

“To that end,” Archibald continued, “Chloe is going to create a magical barrier at the lair’s entrance to keep it from escaping. But that means that once you folks are inside to fight it, you are trapped there as well, until the job is done.”

“Not a problem,” said Finn. “Continue.”

“Isabelle will stock you all up with health potions and fire resistance potions and the like, and I’ve also found her a formula for a potion that, when applied to your weapons, will damage the dragon’s health significantly.”

“Good,” said Rae. “And what are we to do?”

“You three will be the front line,” said Archibald. “Finn’s friend here will use poisoned arrows to try and shoot the dragon down to the ground. Rae, you’ll use fireballs for the same purpose. And Finn, you’ll use your blade once the dragon is down. Try to slash its neck; that’s its weak spot.”

“How do I do that without getting eaten?” Finn said with a nervous laugh.

“You’ll have to figure that out.”

“Great.”

“When do we leave?” asked Isabelle.

“As soon as we’ve gotten everything we need,” said Archibald. “How long will it take you to make the potions?’

“They should be ready by tomorrow morning if I go start them now,” she said.

“Good.” He turned his attention to the other two men. “And your equipment, is it all in good condition?”

“I could probably get my blade sharpened,” said Finn.

“And I could use some more arrows,” said Chop.

“Fine, you two take care of that, and we’ll meet in the morning at the northern gate of the city,” said Archibald. “I’ll procure us some horses.”

***

It took just over two days to get to the mountain north of the capital. Finn thought he probably could have made it there quicker on his own, but not everyone in their party was as comfortable riding for long periods of time, so they had to take many breaks.

They found a few small villages on their way, though one of them was almost completely burned to the ground — they figured they must have been on the right track.

“So,” Chop said when they got to the base of the mountain. “How do we find this cavern, eh?”

“We’ll just have to go around the mountain and look for holes in the side,” said Archibald.

Chop groaned but followed the rest of them as they continued onward.

They passed a couple of small caves, not even big enough for them to enter, let alone a dragon, before running across a large opening on the eastern side of the mountain. The plant life around the entrance was scorched. It seemed like a good sign that they were in the right place. Since they did not see the dragon in the sky on their journey, either, they felt it safe to assume that it was inside the cavern at the moment.

“This is it, everyone,” said Archibald. “Last chance to back out.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” said Finn. The others nodded in agreement.

“Good. Chloe,” Archibald added, “can you seal off the entire mountain, in case there’s more than one exit?”

“I don’t know the exact size of the mountain,” said Chloe. “But I’ll try my best.”

“The rest of you,” he said, “get in there. And good luck.”

Finn and the others dismounted their horses and headed into the cave entrance before Chloe set up the barrier. It was difficult to see when Finn looked back, but everything on the other side of the barrier was a little blurrier than it had been a moment ago, so he assumed that meant it was working.

“I’ll stay here by the entrance,” said Isabelle. “If you need more potions, I’ve got ‘em.”

Finn nodded and continued into the cave, Chop and Rae close behind him. It got darker the further they went in, so Rae cast a spell that created a hovering orb of light to illuminate their path. He noticed a few animal and human remains scattered along their way. There was definitely something dangerous living in this cave.

As they continued, the space in front of them opened up into a huge cavern that must have taken up most of the inside of the mountain. Rae sent her light orb up to the top to brighten the whole area, and that was when Finn spotted it: the dragon was resting on a high ledge on the other side of the cavern. It almost looked small in this vastness.

“How are we supposed to get it from all the way down here?” he asked, pointing at it.

“Allow me,” said Chop, grabbing his bow. He fired an arrow past the dragon’s head, which was enough to wake it.

“Here we go,” said Rae as she started forming a fireball between her hands.

Finn pulled out his sword and ran out into the open space below the dragon, hoping to lure it to the ground so he could slash its throat, while Chop and Rae pelted it with arrows and fireballs. He had to keep moving, however, to dodge the dragon’s fire breath.

It swooped down to snap at him, and he slashed his sword trying to get it, but he missed completely. He dodged another bout of fire before it flew back up into the air. He could hear it growl with pain every time it got struck by a projectile, so he knew their plan was working so far.

The dragon began to descend on him again, this time breathing a stream of fire across the ground, trying to scorch him. He managed to jump out of the way, but his sleeve got a bit singed. He watched as the dragon got struck with a poisoned arrow and a fireball at the same time, which staggered it mid-flight and caused it to fall to the ground.

Finn ran towards it at full speed, sword in hand, ready to slash at it as soon as he got close enough. It turned to face him, however, and let out a burst of fire right in his face. Luckily he’d taken a fire resistance potion earlier, and had a fire resistance spell put on his clothing and armour, or he would have been burnt to a crisp. He tried to get at the dragon’s throat but it kept snapping at him and breathing fire. There was no way he was going to get at its neck from that angle. He had an idea, though.

He ran around to the backside of the dragon where its tail thrashed about, sheathed his sword, and started climbing up its hind leg. It tried to shake him off, but he firmly gripped its scales and continued climbing. He got onto its back and held onto its spines as it started to take off again.

He kept crawling up the dragon’s back as it lifted itself into the air, though it proved difficult once he got between its wings, the muscles in its back writhing as the wings flapped. But he was so close. He kept grabbing spines and pulling himself towards the dragon’s head, until he was sitting right on its neck.

He clamped his legs around it, hoping that would keep him from falling off, as he drew his sword once more and stabbed it right into the side of the dragon’s neck. It screamed as he yanked his sword out and stabbed it again. He had to let go of the sword, however, and grab hold of the dragon’s spines again as it started to sway, like it was about to roll over.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Finn shouted at it, trying to pull the dragon upright as it started falling.

When that didn’t work, he decided he’d rather make a leap for the nearest ledge than end up underneath a dragon as it crashed to the ground, so he did. He managed to grip it with his hands and pulled himself up just as he heard the huge thud below. Now he had just one problem; how to get down.

Suddenly, Rae appeared beside him and offered to transport him back to the ground.

“I think I might try my luck jumping,” he said, grimacing at the thought of being transported again.

“Come on,” she said as she grabbed his arm and transported him anyway.

He went over to where the now still dragon lay and pulled his sword free from the side of its neck. “Well,” he said, “I think the King will probably want some sort of proof that we killed it. Normally I’d bring him the head, but look at the size of this thing. We’ll never be able to carry that back.”

“Maybe just a tooth, then?” Rae suggested.

“Be my guest.”

***

A week later, Finn was back home in Granesrow. After bringing the King the dragon’s tooth, he and Rae were pardoned for their alleged crimes in Halesborough, and were each given a hefty reward, along with the others who helped. In fact, Rae was even appointed as the new court mage, since the current one was soon to retire.

Finn was offered a position as the court abolisher, a position created just for him, but he had other obligations to attend to at home first.

He headed straight for the tavern when he got to town, as it was late and he needed a drink and a bite to eat after travelling so long. Plus, he thought Anastasia might be there, as she was occasionally. She would sometimes go out for a drink with the O’Neill girl, but it seemed tonight that the O’Neill girl was there alone. At least, it seemed that way when she approached him.

“You’re back,” she said as she sat down across from him.

“I am,” he replied.

“You left town in such a hurry last time, I barely got to say hello, let alone goodbye.”

“Well, hello, then,” he said. “Is Anastasia here with you?”

“No,” she said with a laugh. “Don’t you think she’d have gotten to you before I did if she was?”

“Where is she?”

“Home, I think.”

“Are your parents there?”

“They’re visiting family out of town,” she said. “Otherwise I wouldn’t be out this late, would I?”

“Good point.”

“Since I am, why don’t we go some place quieter and you can tell me all about what you’ve been up to?” she added, reaching across the table and stroking his hand.

“I slew a dragon,” he said as though it were the most boring fact in the world. “But I should really go find Anastasia.”

“Wait, what? A dragon?” said the O’Neill girl when he stood up.

“I’ll tell you some other time,” he said as he left.

He headed straight for the O’Neill residence, because he knew Anastasia would be angry if she found out that he’d been in town a whole night before coming to see her. He knocked on the door but there was no answer. Perhaps she was asleep. But he figured she wouldn’t accept that as an excuse for him not to check in on her, so he opened the door cautiously. It seemed like no one was home.

He headed up the stairs towards her bedroom, but as he got closer he could hear sounds, like she was in there, but not alone. He thought she could be in trouble, so he drew his sword and crept quietly towards the door.

When he opened it, he was immediately greeted by the image of a man’s backside — an image he did not particularly care to see — and it took him a moment to realize that Anastasia was underneath this man.

“Hey!” Finn shouted. “Get away from her!”

The young man jumped up and turned around, and Finn saw that it was the O’Neill boy.

“Finn!” said Anastasia, pulling up the sheet to cover herself. “I wasn’t expecting you!”

He looked at her like that was the stupidest thing for her to say, under the circumstances. He didn’t respond, instead he turned to the O’Neill boy again, pointing his sword at him. “How dare you take advantage of her—”

“It—It’s not like that!” said the younger man.

“If you hurt her, I swear—”

“He wasn’t taking advantage of me!” Anastasia cut in. “I offered myself to him willingly.”

Finn lowered his sword. “Oh. But… why?”

“Because… Because I love him,” she said. She appeared to be on the verge of tears. “I’m sorry, but it’s the truth.”

“You… love him?” he said, sheathing his sword. “In that case, I guess—”

“What? You’re not angry with me?” she replied.

“Why would I be angry with you?”

“Because I’m your betrothed.”

“Oh, right. That. Well…” He sighed as a lifetime of immense wealth flashed before his eyes. “I suppose we could call off the wedding again. For good, this time.”

“But… you’re not upset?” she asked.

“No,” he said. He’d be a hypocrite if he were. He decided it best not to tell her the number of women he’d bedded since their betrothal, though. “I just want you to be happy.”

***

“That’s… nice,” said Rae as she stood in the doorway of her new home, though she did not sound sincere.

“I thought you’d be happy,” said Finn. “I know you didn’t want me marrying her.”

“But if she weren’t in love with someone else, you still would have, though,” she said.

“So?”

She walked back into the house and he followed. “So? Is that all you can say?”

“Look, I know you think I’m some terrible person because I was willing to marry someone I didn’t love,” he continued, “but I thought she loved me, and I didn’t want to break her heart. Doesn’t that count for anything?”

“Not really, because you were getting paid.”

“All right, but if it were just about the coin, wouldn’t I have insisted that we get married anyway? And yet I didn’t.”

Rae stopped pacing and looked at him, like she was considering his point. “You’re claiming altruism as the cause of your actions? That hardly seems likely.”

“Not altruism, perhaps,” he said. “More like not wanting to fuck people over, I suppose. Is that not good enough?”

“Maybe I misjudged you, then,” she said. “I thought you would do anything for coin or women, and marrying her would have given you both. So I suppose I can commend you for not going through with it.”

“Thank you.”

“I still don’t know what you expect from me, though.”

“I just… I thought—”

“You thought maybe if you told me your betrothal was off that I would let you share my bed with me again?” she said with her hands on her hips.

“Not… exactly…” he said.

“Then what are you doing here?”

“I… I wanted you to know…” He exhaled loudly. “I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry,” he said. “You were right. I was a terrible person for what I was doing to Anastasia, but I don’t want to be that person anymore.”

“What are you saying?” she asked.

“I’m saying that I’m trying to be better. Starting now,” he said. “And I’d like us to be friends. Even if that’s all we are.”

“All right, fine,” she said after a minute.

“Fine, what?”

“Fine, you can stay.”

“Really?”

“Yeah…” she said. “You’re kind of endearing when you’re not being a pompous ass.”

“Hmm. I should keep that in mind,” he added with a smile.

“Careful, you’re slipping.”

“Right, sorry. Humility. Got it.”

She sighed like she was about to do something she’d regret, but was going to do it anyway. “Just get over here.”


End file.
